Keyblade Academy: A Tale of Light and Dark
by Swordsman795
Summary: Keyblade wielders of Daybreak Town are taught how to defend against the forces of darkness by the Foretellers at Keyblade Academy. A new wielder, Mathias, finds himself learning here after discovering his power. But evil forces hide within the Academy, trying to turn the wielders on each other. Can he and his fellow wielders stop the coming disaster?
1. Chapter 1

_Everyone's hearts are connected. The path one chooses determines the strength of the heart. There are three strengths; one of darkness, one of light, and one of twilight. Your choices, be that of light or dark, will define your destiny. Now Keyblade wielder, awaken!_

"Waah!" I yell as I fall out of bed, landing on the thankfully carpeted floor.

"Let's not do that again," I groan as I stand up, looking through the windows at the radiance of Daybreak Town.

The neat, purple rooftops reflect sunlight as a flock of birds speed past my window. The Foreteller's Tower stands tall in the distance, a constant reminder of our guardians who keep peace and order in the worlds.

"Another day. I wonder what will happen today?" I ponder, getting ready for the new day ahead. I finish up and look myself over in the mirror, my brown hair neatly parted, green eyes covered by black-rimmed glasses, and dressed in a green shirt and black vest with grey shorts. A voice from downstairs beckons me.

"Mathias! Get down here before we eat all the French toast!". "You better not!" I shout back, rushing down to save my breakfast.

As I enter the kitchen, I see my three roommates sitting at the table, fighting over various pastries and waffles.

"Finally man! I thought you had fallen into a coma or something!" said a redhead boy. Adrian has been my best friends since childhood, loves to tease me and pull pranks, but is loyal and sticks up for me when I need it.

"Well, hate to disappoint you Adrian, but I live. Now, where's the French toast?" I reply as I sit down at the table.

"Here you go Mathias," says a girl to my right.

Eve is another childhood friend of mine with black long hair, teal eyes, and is about 5'7, same as me. She has always been kind, helping many in need and, like today, settling disputes.

"Thanks Eve! At least somebody cares about my wellbeing instead of eating everything in sight," I state, glaring accusingly at Adrian.

"Hey dude, you snooze, you lose. Simple as that. Right Faith?" Adrian says, looking next to him at Faith.

Faith has been Eve's friends since they started going to the Academy. Faith had short blond hair, light yellow eyes, and stood at about 5'12.

"Although you have a point Adrian, leaving some food for Mathias should be common decency, but you decided otherwise," Faith concluded, Adrian looking hurt.

"Well, when you put it that way, I was being a bit selfish. Sorry Mathias," Adrian apologizes.

"No problem man. Say, shouldn't you guys be going soon? Classes start at 8:00," I ask, all three of them looking at the clock.

The clock ticked to about 7:50, causing chaos in the kitchen. My friends rush out the door, shouting their goodbyes as I laughed, finishing my breakfast.

Later on, I start on my daily walk around town, thinking to myself.

'They are so lucky, going to the Academy. Learning from the best to protect the worlds and keep light alive,' I say to myself, feeling isolated from those around me.

Those chosen by the light wield Keyblades, weapons of power used to drive back the darkness, and are trained by the Foretellers at the Keychain Academy. I, however, do not have a Keyblade as of right now. As I'm thinking, I found myself at the Plaza Fountain, gurgling along quietly. I often came here to relax and this time was no different. I sat down, raising my head up to the cloudless sky, the sun about to set on Daybreak Town.

I close my eyes, drifting into myself, as I thought, 'What purpose will I serve? Will my choices matter to that purpose? How do I find that purpose?'.

" _Wielder, your time to act has come,"_ booms a mysterious voice in my head.

I open my eyes hastily, finding myself no longer at the fountain, but on a pedestal of glass, a ceramic image appearing under my feet.

"What the-?! What is this!?" I exclaim loudly into the nothingness, somehow expecting it to answer back. It doesn't.

Suddenly, the ceramic flooring starts to change, being overrun by a murky substance. It draws closer, seeping up my body, consuming me whole.

"Please, no! There must be a way out of-" I shout, but I'm cut off by the growing darkness.

Before I fade, I feel energy flow through my body, concentrating in the palm of my right hand. In desperation, I grasp onto it. My vision flares white, the darkness dissipating out of sight. Once I can see clearly, I appear back at Daybreak Fountain, normal as ever. Normal, unless you count the gigantic shadow creature looming in front of me.

"Whoa! What is that!?" I yell, backing up and almost falling into the fountain. I steady myself, now noticing the weapon glowing in my hand.

A black and white grip, etched with small sideways diamonds, handguards curving downward with gemstones lining it, 2 on the left and right with one in the middle near the blade. The blade itself, straight and narrow with a clockwork cog in the middle and on the edge of the blade.

"This… is a Keyblade!" I realized, the middle cog and gem glowing. The shadow creature bellows, its piercing voice spreading darkness around the plaza.

Knowing it's do or die, I ready my Keyblade, and charge the creature. I dash towards its legs, cutting into them, causing the creature to shrink to its knees.

"Oh! Don't like that now, do we?" I taunt, but then regret it as swings its arm at me, pinning me to the side of a building.

"Hgh! Not done yet! Eat this!" I grunt as I aim my blade at the creature, blasting it with fire. It shrieks in agony, covering its eyes with its hands, freeing me from the wall.

"Alright, let's finish this, shall we?" I say, holding my Keyblade aloft. Words flow into my head as I speak, "Change!".

Then, the gem on the hilt changes from red to green. I jump onto the wall, pushing myself off, a purple force surrounding me, and soar above the creature's head.

I aim at the creature and shout, "Aero!", blasting the creature with a whirlwind.

The creature shouts, sinking onto the ground before disappearing completely. I land, exhausted from the fight. As my vision starts to fade out, I see 4 figures coming toward me, shouting my name. I fall back, slipping into unconsciousness, unknowing of the events I had just set in motion.


	2. Chapter 2

I awake to the roof of a hospital room, laying on a bed, medical equipment filled with healing magic behind me. The silence does not last for long however, as my room seems to have company, talking among themselves.

I hear, "-but he is weak now Master Aced, he needs rest!" a voice explains as I slowly regain consciousness, blinking my eyes.

"Please listen to the nurse, Aced! There will be plenty of time to talk with him when-" another voice begins to say.

"When what?" I ask, groaning as I sit up on the hospital bed. I look around the room, seeing 6 figures huddled around me.

"Oh goodness! Are you alright?" asks the figure to my right. "A little tired, but besides that, I feel alright," I reply.

"That's good to hear. Now Mathias, there are some very important people here to see you," a nurse to my left told me as she stepped aside, giving me a full view of my visitors.

On the far left was a woman wearing a snake mask, its tail going into her hood and off to one side, wearing a purple robe. Next to her was a man in a leopard mask, ears extending out of his hood, clad in a yellow robe. Then there was a man with long, silver hair flowing from his unicorn mask, in a white robe. Another man had a bear mask with small, rounded ears sticking out of his hood, matching his beige robe. Lastly, a woman dressed in a pink robe with a fox mask and ears stood to the far right.

"Wha- The Foretellers!?" I exclaim, trying to stand up.

"Not yet young man! You need to rest for now," chides the nurse, laying me back down on the bed.

"Please, relax Mathias. Once you settle, we can discuss what happened at the fountain," explained the unicorn Foreteller.

After taking a minute or two to compose myself, I sat up.

"Okay Mathias, what exactly happened at the fountain? Leave no detail out," the unicorn Foreteller instructed.

I recalled the events in question, each Foreteller listening intensely, forming their own opinions on the matter.

"Well, it seems to me that Mathias can switch between Forms, which no Keyblade user thus far has been able to accomplish," the unicorn Foreteller told everyone.

"Um, what are Forms? Switch between them?" I asked, feeling out of the loop.

"Keyblade battle styles, or Forms, are given to wielders once the obtain their Keyblade," the leopard Foreteller explained. "There is Summoner Form, which allows wielders to call upon forces from other worlds. Drive Form gives wielders certain ability sets. Deck Form builds a deck for wielders to use when picking abilities. After that, there is Command Style Form, which gives the wielder specific powers from using specific abilities, and Flowmotion Form, which enhances the wielder's abilities and movement.".

"Okay, thank you for explaining, Master…" I started, but then realized I didn't know their names.

"Gula. That's my name. To my right is Invi, then to my left is Ira, Aced, and Ava," Master Gula told me.

"So now what will happen to me?" I asked, already forming an answer in the back of my mind.

"Now, you will be enrolled into Keychain Academy, where we teach Keyblade wielders, such as yourself, to fight the darkness and protect the light," Ira confirmed, a slight smile forming across his face.

"I think you should start tomorrow," Master Invi advised. "Resting today will prepare you for your classes."

"Of course, we could just have you start today," Master Aced stated gruffly.

"Aced! Have some patience! Once Mathias is ready, we can being training," Ira scolded.

"Hmf. This is a waste of time," Aced scoffed, leaving my hospital room.

"Aced! Come on, that's not nice!" Gula shouted, racing after him.

"Ugh. We better make sure those two don't get in a fight again. Come along Invi," Ira sighed, leaving the room with Invi following suit.

However, Master Ava remained in my room, looking at me with a curious gaze.

"Y-yes Master Ava?" I asked cautiously.

"Oh! Sorry about that! I didn't mean to frighten you," Master Ava replied, sounding a bit flustered.

"I just have this feeling that your awakening happened for a reason. I'm just not sure why yet.".

"Well, if I find out, you'll be the first to know," I told her.

"Thank you Mathias. Please, get some rest. Your time as a Keyblade wielder starts tomorrow," Master Ava said, wishing me goodbye and leaving me to my thoughts.

'Wow, I never thought this would happen! What will the Academy be like? Will I do well?' "I suppose I'll find that out soon enough," I told myself as I rested my head, anxious for the next daybreak.

 **A/n: Well, there is Chapter 2! This explained Forms in more detail, so I hope that helps anyone wanting to send in OC's! Again, the form is on my bio for you to copy and paste! Anyways, thank you for reading and have a good morning, afternoon, or night!**


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, once I finish getting ready, I set out from the hospital to Keychain Academy. Luckily, it wasn't very hard to find, as I found myself at the base of Foreteller Tower, which also housed the Academy. The giant gate is wide open, leading to a courtyard with multiple paths leading to locations all around the Academy.

"Wow! This place is amazing!" I say, looking at the impressive design of the Academy.

As I being to head towards the front building, somebody rushes into me, causing us both to fall to the ground. As I sit up, clutching my head, I get a look at the person who had accidentally almost buried me in the dirt pathway. A girl, about 16, with bright red hair tucked in a braid, hazel eyes, and wearing a tank top and jeggings with combat boots, sat up on the other side of me.

"Oh my! I'm so sorry about that! This is the third time this week I've run someone over!" the girl apologized.

She offers me her hand, helping me back on my feet. Standing up, she is a bit shorter than me at about 5'2.

"It's okay. I really should have been focusing on where I was going instead of the building," I tell her. "Has this really happened to you three times this week?"

"Oh not really! I just thought it would be funny to say so," she responded, grinning widely. "My name is Sera, short for Serafina. Sorry for meeting you on such short notice!"

"No problem. It's nice to meet you Sera. I'm Mathias," I tell her.

"Really!? Are you the guy who defeated that giant Shadow at the fountain?!" Sera gasped.

"How do you know about that?" I asked, thinking that only the Foretellers and I knew about what happened.

"It's not every day that a huge monster appears in town! Also, some people from my class told me about it. One of their names was Adrian, I think," she told me.

' _Wow, of course it was Adrian. He never knows when to keep his mouth shut_ ,' I thought as we started walking toward the Academy.

"Well, I'll see you later Mathias! Maybe we will end up in the same classes!" Sera shouted as she ran up the stairs. "Oh! We also have an assembly today, so go to the Union Room!"

As I entered the Academy, I am met with a hallway, branching off to three sides, one to the left, right, and center. Thankfully, there are signs that show different locations around the school, with the Union Room being down the center hallway. Progressing through the hall, the walls change from a white concrete into a colorful ceramic wall, patterns weaving their way into images as I approach the open double doors leading into a mass of people. All of them are directing their attention to the large podium, with the Foretellers standing on it.

Master Ira approaches the speaking platform, speaking loudly, "Students. Please, simmer down." "Now, I'm sure all of you are wondering why you have been called here today. As you all know, a large Heartless appeared yesterday at Daybreak Plaza."

Many students started murmuring to one another, telling what they thought had happened until Master Ira resumed his speech.

"Many rumors have been spreading around because of this, but now I shall provide you with the facts. This large Heartless would have caused chaos if it were not for the action of a single Keyblade wielder."

More talking ensued, with people theorizing about who could have taken down such a tough enemy. I looked around the people near me, feeling a bit anxious as I had a feeling where Master Ira was going with this.

"Ahem. This wielder, in vanquishing the Heartless, did something everyone thought to be impossible until now. They switched between multiple Forms, allowing the wielder to use their powers as a wielder to their full extent," Master Ira continued, the room filling up with shouting and questions.

A boy next to me asked, "Hey, do you know who this wielder is? I'd really like to meet them!"

"Um, n-no clue," I stammered, feeling even more nervous than ever.

Master Ira, raised his hands in the air for silence, causing the room to fall quiet.

"This wielder has only recently gained his powers, but has proven himself worthy to stand with us. Come Mathias. Time to introduce yourself," Master Ira announces, pointing towards me.

Everyone turns to face me, parting a path for me to walk onto the podium. I walk down the path, passing students with a mixture of expressions; shock, jealousy, amazement, and much more. As I reach Master Ira, I look over to Master Ava and Gula, both giving me reassuring nods.

"Hello everyone. I am Mathias. I hope we can grow together to protect our world. I may be inexperienced, but with your help, I have no doubt we can accomplish great things," I say, looking at the mass of my fellow students, hoping that I haven't hugely embarrassed myself.

The crowd bursts into cheers, shouting encouragement and clapping their hands together. Master Ira places his hand on my shoulder, nodding in approval.

"Everyone, thank you for attending today's assembly. Now please, get back to your-" Master Ira starts, but is suddenly cut off as a Keyblade soars through the air in our direction.

"Look out!" I shout to Master Ira, my Keyblade forming quickly in my hand as I deflect the incoming weapon, sending it flying back to the other side of the room. However, before the attacker's Keyblade could return to them, it vanished within a dark cloud. The crowd of students started to panic, but Master Ira quickly calmed them down. The other Foretellers looked at each other in shock. Why would anyone, let alone one of their own students, try to attack other wielders?

"Please everyone, return home for the rest of the day. We will investigate into this matter as soon as possible. For now, rest and leave it to us to solve this issue," Master Ira announced, dismissing the students.

Once the students had left the Union Room, apart from me, the Foretellers went their separate ways, starting on their mission to find out more about the mysterious attacker. All, except Master Gula, who started walking over to me.

"Mathias, did you get a clear look at that Keyblade you warded off? We must find out who could have done this. I hope it is not as I feared…" he asked, a slight hint of panic arising in his voice.

"No, I didn't get a good look at it, Master Gula. It happened so suddenly that I only focused on protecting Master Ira," I told him, feeling as if I hadn't been good enough.

Noticing my sorrowful expression, Master Gula shook his head. "You did great. Many beginning wielders wouldn't have responded to that situation as fast or as efficiently as you did," he reassured me.

"What do you mean by, 'I hope it is not as I feared'?" I asked.

"You see," Master Gula started, pacing around. "When our master left us with the Book of Prophesies, taking his sixth apprentice with him, he warned of a traitor amongst us, somebody trying to bring about the darkness and shutting out the light. We had thought this warning was just another test, but with this event…".

"You're not so sure anymore," I finished. "But what would anyone have to gain from accepting the darkness?"

Master Gula paused in his pacing, a look of worry on his face.

"… Let's hope we never have to find out. For now, Mathias, rest. Your lessons will properly being tomorrow," Master Gula smiled. "You have unlimited potential Mathias. Show the world what you can do.".

I nodded, bowed, and left the Union Room, the ceramic wall's light beginning to dim as I exited the Academy. To my surprise, I found Sera waiting outside for me, along with the boy who had talked to me in the crowd earlier. He was about my height at 5'7 with a lean body, with spikey black hair and loose bangs. Wearing a black tank top, blue jeans with a hole at the right knee, black sneakers, and sunglasses on his head, he looked ready for a fight, which was something I really didn't need right now.

"Hey Mathias! We were a bit worried about you, so we decided to wait for you to return," Sera explained, the guy next to her nodding in agreement.

"Hey, I'm sorry I lied to you earlier in the Union Room. I was nervous and didn't know how to react," I apologized to the guy.

"No problem. Anyone would have acted the way you did, given the circumstances. I'm Vincent. It's a pleasure to meet you," the guy said, extending his hand.

I shook it, looking around the Academy as the sun started to set.

"Nice to meet you too Vincent. Wow, the day went by really fast, didn't it?" I say, starting to walk into town as Vincent and Sera followed.

"Yeah, time flies when you're having fun! Or saving people from UFK's," Sera joked.

"UFK's?" I asked, feeling tired and not fully awake.

"Unidentified Flying Keyblades. They are a rare find this time of year," Sera said as the three of us started laughing.

We continued to chat until we arrived at the apartment block, where we said our goodbyes and went inside. It was about 9:30 or so, with my roommates Adrian, Eve, and Faith already fast asleep. I crept silently to my room, quickly collapsing on my bed. Before I fell asleep, I summoned my Keyblade, staring at it with wonder.

"Unlimited potential, huh? Wonder where that will take me," I mumbled, my consciousness drifting into myself.

 **A/N: Phew! I've finally introduced some OC's, and there's more where that came from! Also, I know there haven't been many battle scenes yet, but the next chapter will be mainly focused on that! A shout out to SoraKairiRikuNamine and Lucifers Descendant for their submitted OC's! I cannot wait to show off the rest of them! Speaking of OC's, so far I have no Dark Alignment characters, so if you want to show off your evil side, shoot me a PM with you OC and their devious plots! Anyways, have a good day, afternoon, or night!**


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning, I walk with Adrian, Eve, and Faith to the Academy, chatting all the way about how school life was going to be for me.

"So, there are classes for each Battle Form," Eve started explaining. "There is one for Summoner, Drive, Command, Command Style, and Flowmotion. Each wielder has one class, but in your case Mathias, you will be in all of the classes. Think of them as periods.".

"Wow, I hope I can keep up with everything I'm learning," I sigh, trying not to get stressed out.

"Don't sweat it man!" Adrian comments. "Since you've shown that your abilities are far more advanced than any beginner, the Foretellers are placing you in the advanced classes with all of us! Isn't that great?!".

"How is that supposed to make me feel better?!" I yelled, all of us bursting into laughter.

"Anyways, which class would I go to first?" I asked, also wondering which Master taught each Style.

"Oh! That would be Summoner class with me!" Eve tells me. "It's taught by Master Ira. He can be a bit stiff at times, but gets you really into learning.".

"Next is Drive class, taught by Master Aced and has yours's truly!" Adrian said. "He's really tough, pushing you towards your limit! A day in his class is never boring!".

"After that, Simple Command class is taught my Master Invi," Faith explained. "She tells wielders the best ways to organize their decks for the best fighting strategies.".

"Let me guess, Master Gula teaches Flowmotion class?" I inferred.

They all nodded in unison, looking up as we step into the front building with the hallways. Adrian and Faith wish me and Eve farewell as they continue to their respective classes as I follow Eve towards the Summoner Room.

As we enter the room, I stare in amazement at the room's setup. The walls were lined with huge mirrors, showing locations so vastly different from one another that I knew they had to be other worlds. Jungles, deserts, cities beyond imagination. These and more kept switching on the walls as I took a seat next to Eve. Surprisingly, the seats, unlike the walls, were very normal oak desks. Unless you count the fact that they were floating a couple feet off the ground. I sat down at an empty desk, then felt a tap on my shoulder and I looked towards the person.

"Hey Mathias! I had a feeling we'd be seeing each other again!" Sera greeted me.

"Nice to see you too. Am I in your seat?" I asked, not wanting to start trouble.

"Nope. Oh! Do you have a Chirithy yet? It's necessary for all classes," she told me as she sat down next to me.

"What? A Chirithy? What's that?" I ask, thinking she might be pranking me again.

"It's a devise that wielders use to manage their powers, equipment, and party members. It also has a mind of its own, advising wielders as they discover their abilities. It's kind of like a super phone. Here, I'll show you," Sera explains as she takes a thin rectangle with a screen out of her pocket, handing it to me.

Suddenly, the screen lit up, showing a cat-like creature with a cape and a wallet around its neck.

"Good morning Mistress- Oh! You are not Mistress Sera. Who are you?" the cat inquires.

"Oh, I'm Mathias. I am a new friend of Sera's," I tell the cat.

"Well, it is a pleasure to meet you. I'm Chirithy. A Dream Eater created by the Master of Masters to serve the Foretellers and their wielders in fighting the darkness," Chirithy said.

Handing the phone back to Sera, I ask, "What is a Dream Eater?".

"Dream Eaters are creatures who gain form by eating the dreams of people. There are Spirits, who are made of good dreams. However, any that eat bad dreams become Nightmares. The Spirits help out wielders, but nobody has seen a Nightmare in recent memory. We've only heard about them from the Foretellers. Oh, here comes Master Ira!" Sera tells me before Master Ira clears his throat at the front of the classroom.

"Good morning everyone. Now today, we will be starting our practice matches just like last year, but with a new twist," Master Ira said, a curious look on everyone's faces.

"The best 2 fighters by the end of the semester will be allowed to participate in this year's Tournament at the Coliseum," he continued, raising the excitement of the class immensely.

I had heard of the annual Tournament, which sent wielder up against each other to be crowned that year's victor. It was all for fun of course, but each year had a tremendous turnout, with a representative from each class participating in the tourney. It was a show of power, magic, and speed, all combined to show who had the best chance of fighting the darkness. However, according to what Master Ira just announced, there would be two wielders on each team this year.

"Yes, I know it is very exciting. However, the requirements this year will be just as difficult as ever," Master Ira said once he had quieted the class down. "Now, let's get on with today's combat training. Everyone follow me."

Master Ira stepped through the newly revealed doorway behind him, students eagerly going after him. We walked through and my mouth stood agape. The doorway led to an enormous stadium, covered with rows of seats and a round glass ceiling that the sun shone through. In fact, many of the seats were filled with students, such as Adrian and Faith.

"Why aren't the other students in class?" I whisper to Eve, walking in front of me.

Before she could answer, the guy walking behind me spoke up.

"The other classes usually learn instead of fight at this time, but since this is the first practice day, every class is allowed to watch," he said, a tone of annoyance in his voice.

This guy was dressed in a red hoodie and black jeans, his unruly dark blue hair popping out from under his hood. He stood at about 5'11, towering over me like a foreboding statue. However, what startled me the most was his eyes. They were a very dark brown, almost black, his pupils seeming almost nonexistent as they bore into me.

"Um, thanks. I'm-" I started, but was quickly cut off by the guy.

"Mathias. Everyone here knows who you are. Some here even call you a celebrity. I don't see what's the big deal," he scoffed.

"Hey, leave him alone Icarus! What's your problem?" Eve exclaimed, stepping in front of me to face Icarus.

"Nothing. I just want to see if he really lives up to the claims everyone makes. See if he actually belongs here," Icarus responded, glaring over at me.

Anger started to build in his voice, hinting that there was no way out of this for me. As I was about to respond, Icarus yelled over to Master Ira.

"Hey Teach! Can I fight in the first round?"

Master Ira sighed, knowing that today's match was going to be very interesting.

"I suppose, but who do you choose to-" he began, getting interrupted by Icarus.

"I'm fighting the Keyblade Wonder over here. Mathias," Icarus said loudly, all eyes turning on me.

" _Jeez, do I really have to go through with this?" I thought. "No, I cannot back down. I have just as much a right to be here as any other wielder."._

"Sure, I'll accept your challenge, Icarus," I told him, our eyes filled with determination.

The other students moved to the sides of the arena, giving me and Icarus space to ready ourselves. Before announcing the start of the match, Master Ira came over to me, handing me my own Chirithy.

"Here Mathias. I would have given you this earlier, but before I could Icarus challenged you," Master Ira apologized.

"I understand Master. Thank you," I replied, grateful for Master Ira's kindness.

He nodded, stepping away as my Keyblade materialized in my hand as Icarus did the same, his Keyblade having a stormy black pattern with wings cast downward near the tip.

Suddenly, my Chirithy started to shake in my pocket, releasing two glowing orbs that gained form as they settled to the left and right of me. On the left was a snowy owl with grey spots and blue tipped wings, a heart-like design across its chest. To my right was a grey and black wolf, a red streak of fur near its face, and a similar heart-like pattern on its back.

"Woah! Are these Dream Eaters!?" I asked, startled at their sudden appearance.

Icarus laughed loudly. "HAH! He didn't even know he had Companions! This should be easy!".

As he spoke, two Dream Eaters appeared next to him, one a large snake and the other a stone golem.

"Participates ready?" Master Ira asked, both of us nodding our heads at him.

"Then let the match begin!" he shouted, blowing a whistle around his neck.

Icarus yelled, charging at me with his Keyblade, swiping downward. My wolf ran out in front of me, swatting the blade away with its tail and biting at Icarus. He yelled in pain, but his snake then tackled my wolf, engaging in their own fight. I then tried to hit the golem with my Keyblade, but it bounced right off its stone skin. Seeming to smile, the golem clawed at my arm, causing me to wince in pain. However, as soon as the cut appeared, my owl flew down to my arm and waved its wing over the wound, a green light healing the cut. I then turned toward Icarus, barely blocking a strike with my Keyblade. I pushed him back, summoning thunder and shooting it out of my Keyblade and striking him in the chest.

Master Ira raised his voice. "Mathias is the winner! An excellent performance by both of you.".

The crowd cheered as I dematerialized my Keyblade, my Companions returning to my Chirithy. Just as I turned my back, Icarus, got up, Keyblade still in hand.

"UGH! You won't win! You can't!" Icarus yelled, his Companions pinning me to the ground as I turned to look at him.

"YOU WILL LOSE! MY POWER WILL DESTROY YOU!" Icarus screamed, pointing his Keyblade directly at my face, a Fire spell forming along its edge.

"NO! Mathias!" Eve cried, trying to rush over to help but wouldn't make it in time.

Before Icarus could fire, however, a Keyblade in the shape of a musical note, a G clef, hit Icarus' Keyblade out of his hands, also knocking him out as it came back around. I looked to where the Keyblade came from, and found Sera standing about 7 feet away, quickly walking over to me and helping me up.

Master Ira then came over and had Icarus taken away to the healing room, thankfully being watched over by veteran wielders to keep him under control.

"Mathias, are you alright?" Master Ira asked, just as shocked as I was about the turn of events.

"Yeah. What the heck made him go berserk like that?" I wondered, not sure I even wanted to know the answer to that.

"Master Ira grimaced. "I'm not sure, but I have a very good guess. It seems that Icarus may have opened his heart to the darkness. It's rare, but can happen.". "Anyways, practice is concluded for the day, so everyone go back to your classes," he announced as students shuffled out of the arena.

"As for all of you," Master Ira addressed me, Eve, and Sera. "Go about the rest of your school day as well. Especially you, Mathias. There may be other wielders who have fallen to darkness that might seek you out.".

We all nodded, going back the way we came into the arena to resume regular class. As we walked, I spoke to Sera.

"Thanks for saving me back there. I don't want to think about what might have happened if you didn't help me.".

"Hey, no sweat. I was just impatient for my turn to fight," Sera grinned, which caused Eve to scowl.

"Seriously? Mathias could have gotten really hurt! Do you treat this like a game?" Eve accused, getting a slightly sarcastic gasp out of Sera.

"Hey, I was just kidding. Mathias is my friend too you know," she replied.

Eve blushed, looking at her feet. "S-sorry. I didn't mean to sound rude.".

"No worries. We all care about our friends. But maybe some more than others..." Sera said, trailing off.

"Um, girls? Shouldn't we get back to class?" I pointed out, seeing realization racing across their faces as we dashed back to class.

 **Meanwhile, in an unknown location…**

"Wow, that idiot Icarus screwed up big time," a snarky voice commented.

"Yes, but now we know that Mathias is the one our Master spoke of," a stern voice replied.

"Who cares about that?! Can't we just kill him already?!" a third voice pipped up.

"No, the Master requires the one with the Clockwork of Fate," the stern voice said.

"Patience, my followers. Soon, darkness will conquer all," a commanding voice said, yellow eyes peering out of the blackness. "And nobody will be able to stop it.".

 **A/N: And I'm back with another chapter! This is another attempt at battle scenes, so comment on how you thought I did! As for OC's, I still need some evil ones to fill in those three evil voices! I'm going to try to update as often as I can, but school's school. Anyways, thanks for reading and have a good day, afternoon, or night!**


	5. Chapter 5

After going through the rest of class, I headed towards Drive Form class with Adrian. Stepping into the Drive Room, we found ourselves in a large, open-roofed room, with columns in each corner. Where the desks should have been were reclining chairs, covered brown and black-lined patting, and a lever to one side to put out the foot rest.

"Whoa, what's up with the lazy chairs?" I asked Adrian.

"Shh. You'll see." Adrian whispered as he took one of the seats.

As I was heading towards the seat on the right to him, a guy sped past me and sat down in the seat.

"Sorry man, don't mean to be a buzzkill, but this is my seat," the boy said quickly.

This kid was wearing a yellow and gray tunic with no sleeves, blue sport shorts, a yellow wristband, and black and yellow shoes. He looked about my age, 17, with short curly black hair with gray highlights and an unusually pale complexion. With being about 4'5 and skinny, this guy didn't look very intimidating, but what really struck me were his gray eyes, a look of excitement that I've never seen before dashing across them.

"Oh, no problem. I'll just sit elsewhere," I told him, moving to sit in the seat left of Adrian.

Once I sat down, the chairs in the class moved to face the front of the classroom, where Master Aced sat in an office-like chair similar to ours. However, a look of displeasure flashed on his face at the two empty chairs in front of him.

"AGH! Are those two going to be late again?! I swear, if they don't show up soon I'll-" started Master Aced, but was interrupted by the classroom door opening in a quick manner.

In stepped two boys, one obviously older than the other. The younger one looked very professional, wearing a jinbei-like light blue suit top with a bulletproof jacket, light green sports shorts, white armlets, and a black waist strap with yellow cloth tied to it. He looked about 16, had short, nearly straight black hair, brown eyes, a scar on his left eye, and stood at about 6'2 with a lanky build.

"S-sorry Master Aced. I won't get lost again," the boy spoke quietly.

"It better not, Jeffery! Hey, I still see you behind him, Shade!" Master Aced replied loudly, his attention on the second boy who came in late.

The other boy was wearing a black shirt under a white hoodie, a black beanie, white skinny jeans with holes that showed off black spandex, and black sneakers. He looked about 18, had blonde hair and brown eyes, and stood at 5'4. He said nothing as he went to sit down.

"Shade!" Master Aced shouted, annoyed at him. "Next time this happens, you're going to receive much more than a verbal warning, got that?"

Shade just nodded, glancing above him at the open sky.

"Alright then. Attention cadets! Today we will be practicing how to infuse your Dream Eaters into your Keyblades and accessing your Drive," Master Aced explained.

Suddenly, all of our chairs reclined back, our gaze now at the open sky. The sky flickered, then disappeared as a black screen covered the ceiling.

"Now, the first thing when accessing your Drive is that you need to have a strong connection with your Dream Eaters. Without that, you can't use their powers properly when they give them to you," Master Aced told the class.

The screen then flashed and showed an image of Aced, Keyblade in hand with a bear and tiger Dream Eater at his side. The Aced on the screen put his free hand to his chest, then his bear transformed into a ball of red light, flying into his clenched hand. Light burst around Aced, his cloak changing color from its usual light brown to a dark maroon color, a red aura glowing around him.

"Once you have absorbed your Dream Eater's power, you will enter your Drive State. It will allow you to access new abilities you wouldn't be able to use otherwise. With enough practice, these abilities will always be available for you to use. However, keep in mind that your Drive State only lasts for a certain time, then reverting you to your original state," Master Aced lectured.

The screen returned to its blue sky look as our chairs fixed themselves to face the front of the classroom.

"Well, now that you all have seen how, let's put you all to the test! Follow me to the arena!" Master Aced commanded, following the hallway to the arena, all of us going after him.

"Hey Adrian," I asked. "Does everyone have the same Drive State or do they have unique ones?"

"Well, there are the standard States: Valor, the one Master Aced showed off, which boosts physical attacks, Wisdom, which focuses on magic, and Master, which has a balance of boosted physical and magical abilities. However, each Keyblade wielder has their own unique version of one of the forms. For example, normally Valor State gives the user a copy of their Keyblade to use alongside their original one, but for Master Aced, the power of the copy is infused into his regular Keyblade," Adrian told me as we continued down the path towards the training arena.

"Wow, I wonder what State I can access?" I pondered, brainstorming all of the cool things I could do with a Drive State. Hey, a guy's gotta have some aspirations, right?

Once we entered the arena, all of us lined up side to side as Master Aced stood in front of us.

"Now, all of you summon your Dream Eaters," Master Aced said sternly.

I looked around me to see my other classmates summoning their Dream Eaters within seconds, but mine didn't show up.

 _'Come on Mathias! You can do this!' I thought to myself, closing my eyes and trying to summon my Dream Eaters with all my might._

Suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder, its strong grip making me open my eyes in surprise. It was Master Aced, looking at me with concern.

"Mathias, do not try to force your Dream Eaters to appear. Let them come to you, connect your feelings with theirs. This is how the bond between a wielder and Dream Eaters are formed," Master Aced told me, his words washing over me and giving me clarity.

I breathed in, then out, closing my eyes once more and opened my heart. I then felt a slight tingle, not in my body, but in my heart, connecting me to my Companions.

 _'Well, it's about time you called for us properly,' a slightly annoyed female voice rang in my mind._

 _'Ignore Scarlet please, Master. She tends to be a bit battle-hungry as of late,' another voice answered, this one sounding like an older, mature male._

 _'Oh please Corrin! Don't act all high and mighty if you can't back it up!' Scarlet retorted, seeming too eager to fight._

 _'Guys, can we continue this later? I need both of you right now,' I told them both._

 _'Of course Master Mathias, we are at your service,' both hummed in unison, a tug reverberating throughout my heart._

Scarlet and Corrin appeared at my side from my Chirithy, both looking ready for the challenge ahead. Master Aced nodded in approval, then shouted for the rest of the classes' attention.

"Everyone! Please attempt to access your Drive State. This is all you will be doing today, training will begin tomorrow."

I looked at my Companions, both looking at me with determination in their eyes. I nodded, reaching my left hand over my heart and closed my eyes. I felt a surge of energy enter my body as our hearts connected, changing me.

As I opened my eyes, I noticed some very big changes. First of all, I had another Keyblade hovering around my left hand bound to me by some magical force. It looked just my regular Keyblade, but was made out of a rusted metal-like substance as opposed to the steel my regular Keyblade is made of. Another difference was my clothes, which had changed from my usual black and green vest/shirt combo and gray shorts to a steel/rust color, splitting down the middle, representing which Keyblade I had in my hands. Also, did I mention the huge amount of energy flowing through me? That was there too.

"Good job Mathias. Your Drive State is that of the Master, a balance between the physical plane, and the magical one. I expect that you will use it well," Master Aced commended me.

"Wow, congrats man! I knew you could do it!" Adrian told me, giving me a pat on the back.

I smiled in appreciation, so excited at my simple, but progressive achievement that I jumped up high into the air, a sudden burst of energy propelling me forward.

"Woah! Heck yeah!" I shouted as I semi-flew across the arena, landing on my feet a good distance away from where I was previously.

"Well, it looks like Mathias has gotten an early start to tomorrow's lesson," Master Aced chuckled. "Heck, everyone try out your new abilities right now. I'll evaluate how you perform tomorrow."

As the rest of the class started their practicing, I couldn't help but smile.

 _'So what if I don't know what tomorrow brings? I know that with this power from my friends, anything is possible."_

 **A/N: After a month of nothing, here comes Chapter 5! It's great to be back everyone. Now, I'm going to add a bit more to the OC page on my bio regarding your OC's Dream Eaters, aka Companions. You can make them up, use preexisting ones, name them, almost anything you want! So anyone who has already sent in an OC, could you please PM me with Companion info? Thanks? Also, in regards to next chapter, Command Form will now be known as Deck Form to avoid confusion with Command Style Form (I'll fix this in previous chapters as well!). Anyways, I hope you all have a good morning, afternoon, evening or night wherever you are!**


	6. Chapter 6

Once the class was dismissed, I started to head over to Deck Form class, walking along the somewhat bland hallway. Weirdly, there was nobody else in the hall, creating a strangely tense atmosphere as I trotted, my shoes making the only audible sound.

 _"Has class not ended yet? I'm sure that it ended already,"_ I thought, stopping and scratching my head.

As I tried to continue on, I found that I couldn't move at all, like I was chained in place by some extreme force.

"What the heck?! What's happening to me?" I tried to yell, but I couldn't even talk.

Out of nowhere, a dark rounded doorway appeared in the middle of the hallway in front of me, and a figure stepped out of it. They were dressed in head to toe in a black robe, a hood obscuring their face, a menacing air about them almost flowing over me. Although they stood at maybe 4'11, I could feel their gaze bearing into me, fear starting to build inside of me.

"So this is the wielder the Master spoke of! He doesn't look threatening at all!" the figure laughed, a clearly feminine voice.

"Aw, what's the matter? Cat got your tongue? Oh, wait, that must be the Gravity spell I used! So sad!" she taunted, watching me try in vain to move.

She calmly came over to me, walking around in a circle, prodding me and poking me.

"Well, I suppose I should take you with me. Not like you have a choice in the matter!" she shouted, grabbing my arm and pulling me into the dark portal with her.

 _"What can I do?! Who is this?! How can I move again?"_ I angrily thought as we ended up in a small, barely lit room with no visible exit.

She then pushed me to the floor, still under the spell as my head hit the floor with a loud crack.

"Ooh! That sounded like it hurt! Well, not as much as this is going to," she told me as she summoned her Keyblade, a dark aura forming around her hand.

It had a white hilt, surrounded by red handguards, its blade made of two zig-zagging black lines culminating in a red X at the top of the deadly weapon. She swung down, aiming right for my head.

 _"Is this the end? No, I refuse to give up!"_ I told myself, a burst of energy flowing through me.

I quickly summoned my Keyblade, blocking her strike just before it made contact.

"Wha! That Gravity magic should have held you for longer!" she yelped, surprised by my lucky block, jumping back and readying herself.

"You'll find that I'm full of surprises!" I quipped, stepping into my battle stance, my Keyblade at my side.

I attempted to swing at her, but my Keyblade wouldn't move, the gem flashing yellow on its hilt.

"HAH! You must not know how to start up your Deck! Lucky me!" she chirped, running at me.

I rolled to the side, her blade bouncing off the wall behind me and sparks flying. I ducked behind a box, kicking it with all my might over at her, knocking her to the ground. Suddenly, my Keyblade's gem stopped flashing yellow and stayed yellow.

"Card obtained!" I hear my Chirithy speak in my pocket, quickly pulling it out.

The screen showed my Keyblade on a card at a sideways angle, motion lines trailing behind it. At the bottom right of the card, the number 4 appeared, along with "CARD 15" on the bottom left of the screen.

"Huh, let's see how this works!" I shouted, slipping my Chirithy back into my pocket hurriedly and readying myself.

An image of my deck appeared to the bottom left of my vision, showing me the cards at my disposal to fight with. However, I didn't get a good look as them as I was hit with a Fira spell, sending me backwards into the wall.

"Now you're going to pay! Nobody knocks me down without getting burned!" she fumed, up from her previous spot on the floor.

As I got up, I selected the first card I had, the sideways Keyblade one, and threw it at her, barely hitting her as she rolled to the right behind a pile of barrels. I caught my Keyblade, next using a Thunder card, striking each barrel and revealing where the figure was kneeling, her hand to her chest, a bit of dark energy emitting from it.

Suddenly, she vanished, appearing next to me and jabbing me in my right side. I roared in pain, the wound dripping blood and heating up. Without thinking, I kicked her and turned to run, using a card with Corrin's image on it. He appeared briefly, casting a Cure spell that patched up my cut slightly. I heard another Fira fly past me, hitting the wall and creating a hole in the cement.

 _"Argh, if I get it by that again, it won't be pretty,"_ I cursed as I did a sliding dash towards her, pushing her to a corner of the room.

I struck her with 3 swings of my blade, causing her to yell and her Keyblade to ignite into flames. She then lunged at me, sinking me down to one knee as I blocked her, a look of anger in her blue eyes under that black hood. As we locked blades, I noticed that there was a particular card in my deck that radiated a light, one with the image of a Keyblade striking a Heartless multiple times.

I selected it, and felt a surge of energy wash over me, giving me strength and agility. I knocked my assailant backwards dashed towards her, striking her 7 times in the blink of an eye. She flew across the room, Keyblade knocked out of her hand.

"Alright, that's it! I want some answers! Who are you? Why are you after me?" I questioned, fatigued from the battle.

Before I could get a response, a portal of darkness similar to hers blinked into existence, revealing another person in a black robe.

"Hm. It seems you have underestimated your opponent again. How disappointing," the new man scolded the girl, ignoring me all together.

He hoisted her on his back and proceeded to walk back towards the swirling vortex.

"Hey! Get back here! What the heck-" I started to yell, but felt an immediate sharp pain from my side once more, causing me to fall to my knees.

I looked up, my vision starting to fade as the man withdrew his own Keyblade, but I couldn't make put what it looked like.

"Hmph. The Master may see you as important, but all tools dull eventually. Play your part Mathias, for this world shall not be in the light for much longer," the man chided coldly, leaving through the portal.

"…Damn. Get…back…here…" I whimpered, falling into unconsciousness.

 _ **Elsewhere…**_

"I have returned Master," the calm man announced, dropping the girl to the floor without remorse.

The girl got up shakenly, clutching her left arm and glaring at the man.

"What the hell Delta!? I had him! But no, you had to butt in-" she began, but was silenced by a sudden gust of wind.

Another boy appeared beside her, adorned in the same black coat, but taller that the girl.

"Yeah, you sooo had him! So why did Delta have to bail you out then?" the boy nagged, causing the girl to growl quietly at him.

The man turned to face the two, the temperature starting to lower at an unnatural pace.

"Sigma, that's enough. You might have one that fight, Foxtrot, but if I hadn't stepped in, you would have been captured by Master Invi," Delta commented.

Waving his hand, Delta cast a sheet of ice upon the wall, depicting an image of Master Invi, along with medical staff, carrying a boy on a stretcher.

Foxtrot grunted, realizing how close she had come to endangering all her comrades.

"However," Delta began, a hint of a smile appearing under his hood. "You did do one thing right. The wielders will now live in fear of us, nameless, an unknown group.".

The other two nodded, following Delta into the darkness, returning to their master to report what had transpired.

 **A/N:** Hey everyone, I'm back! Sorry for the lack of updates, stuff was busy for me for awhile! So, our plot thickens as a trip to class takes a turn for the worse. What could happen next? I don't even know yet! On another note, I would really like you guys to vote in the poll I have (If it's still up…) about me creating art for the story! I'm not the best, but I will try my best to bring your OC's to life! It will be on a DeviantArt page I'll eventually create under Swordsman795, so look forward to that! Anyways, as always, have a good day, afternoon, evening, or night!


	7. Chapter 7

As I lay on an infirmary bed, rushed there after my fight with the dark robbed figure knocking me unconscious, Master Invi and Master Ava stood to the side, conversing on my condition.

"This is not good, not good at all. How could this have happened?" Master Ava voiced, her worry conveyed in her tone of voice.

"When I noticed that Mathias had not shown up to class, I thought he was lost at first. However, once the whole class heard the explosion of a Fira spell reverberate throughout the room, I set off immediately. I found him in an old storage room, a gash in his side and unconscious," Master Ivni recounted.

Master Invi then paused, looking around and back to Master Ava, her face contorting under her mask.

"It might be those ones again…" she uttered, feeling uneasy.

"You don't mean… _those_ students?" Master Ava replied, already knowing it to be true.

"Yes," confirmed Master Invi. "Those students, the ones who broke away from the Academy. Not just from one class however, but from each class."

Both masters looked down at me, still unconscious, but breathing slowly on the infirmary bed. The gash in my side was being repaired by a Cura-infused IV bag, its contents steadily dripping down the tube.

"This wound… it will take time to heal, even with the use of healing magic," Master Invi commented, turning back to Master Ava.

"He won't be up training for about a week, maybe more."

"That's not good, if students are being attacked outright, we might be in more danger than we thought. I wish this wouldn't happen…" Master Ava lamented.

"The Master said dark time were ahead of us, and now we must deal with it," Master Invi surmised.

As they both stopped, Master Gula had entered, carrying a strange hunk of shining metal in his hands.

"H-hey, do either of you know what this thing is? I was over in the Master's study, and this just started to glow!" Master Gula stammered, clearly out of breath from running.

Master Ava took a closer look at the metal, then gasped in surprise.

"Well Ava? What is it?" Gula asked, setting the metal down on the table beside the medical bed.

"That metal is Orichalcum, used to make Wielder Armor for those in my class in very rare occasions. Most just use Mithril, since it is the more common metal to construct armor out of," Master Ava elaborated, the light from the metal continuing to shine.

In that instant, the Orichalcum started to float above the table where Gula had placed it, startling the Foretellers.

It hovered over towards my unconscious body, circling around it in the air, illuminating the Masters' vision, causing a momentary blindness.

Once the light subsided, the metal had attached itself to my right arm, forming a piece of shoulder armor, a downward crescent moon on the shoulder with a descending metal pad to protect my shoulder, and a round button to fully activate the armor.

"Woah! How did that happen Ava?!" Master Gula exclaimed, never have seen anything like this before.

"Well," started Master Ava. "The wielder first goes into a trance-like state, reaching within their Heart of Hearts and drawing their personal power and feelings from it. Once this is done, the wielder forms it into armor that suits them and only them."

Master Invi did not look as surprised at Master Gula, having knowledge of this process from tireless studying under their Master's instructions. However, as to how Master Gula had acquired the precious metal, she was skeptical about it coming from the Master's study.

"Hmm. An interesting development. Run along now Gula, we all have important things to do," Master Invi commented coldly, taking her leave from the infirmary.

Gula, looking dejected and a bit hurt, left without a word, now having just Master Ava remaining in the room with me. She sighed, thoughts of worry still dancing at the back of her mind.

"Ava, are you feeling unwell?" asked a soft voice from behind her, as she turned around to see Master Ira, a look of slight concern adorning his face.

Master Ava looked down at the floor; Ira could always tell when there was something on her mind.

"The truth is… I'm really worried about the recent events. Mathias' awakening, the stage attack, Icarus, and now this. I feel like we as teachers aren't doing enough to keep our students safe," she admitted, relieved to finally speak her mind to somebody.

Master Ira placed his hand on her shoulder, startling her slightly.

"Don't worry Ava, we can find a way to get through this. Remember the Master's teachings? No matter how great the darkness, there is just as much light to combat it."

Master Ava smiled, nodding in relief, Ira's words calming her.

"By the way Ava, have you had a chance to test out the new device for the Command Style students? The Armor D-Link, I believe you called it?" Master Ira asked.

"N-no, not just yet," Master Ava told him. "No new wielders have undergone the armor construction phase as of late… Except Mathias."

An idea started to form in Master Ava's head, and without thinking she took out the device, a small golden circle, and attached it to my activation button on my armor.

"Wait Ava-" Master Ira began, but it was too late; Master Ava had already hit the button, filling the infirmary bed with a flash of light as my armor took shape, leaving my body behind.

The armor had the two downward crescent moons on the shoulders and metal arm plating extending to its hands, an upper plate adorned with a cog attached via a chain around my neck, a chestplate with plates converging at a point in the middle of the armor, and a helmet with three diamond metal plates on the top rim of the helmet.

"Mmm! What a dream that was! Back at that mosaic area again, but with floating metal everywhere," the armor yawned, stretching its arms widely in the air.

"Mathias? Is that you?" Master Ava asked, her voice a mix of excitement and anxiousness.

"What do you mean is this me? Of course it's me! I mean, I don't look that diff- WHERE DID MY BODY GO?!" I shouted as I looked down at "myself".

I turned around to see my body, strung up to the Cura medical machine, unconscious but breathing.

"Please Mathias, do not be alarmed. Master Ava has just transferred your heart temporarily to our new Keyblade Armor," Master Ira explained calmly.

I took a deep breath, or at least my armor acted like I did, and let it all out.

"Okay, I'm in a suit of armor for what reason exactly?" I asked, starting to think straight once again.

"Your last fight took a big toll on your body, so I used this device," Master Ava began as she pointed to the circle and its ring on my body's armor.

"This allows you to control your armor without putting further strain on your actual body."

I nodded; it made sense in that I was too weak to study and train like that due to the fight.

"Did you manage to catch those two in the black robes? I fought one of them, but the other knocked me out." I told the masters, hoping to hear good news.

Master Ira shook his head, now beginning to seem a bit worried himself.

"When Invi found you, there was nobody else in the storage room. They must have escaped using a Gateway."

I sighed in dismay, wanting to know why I, of all the students and teachers, was targeted.

"Do not fret Mathias, there will be another chance for them to be apprehended. For now, go with Master Ava. Your Command Style training will soon commence," Master Ira instructed, opening the door to the hallway.

I nodded, my new armor making heavy footsteps as I followed Master Ava towards the CS Room, a feeling of uneasiness hanging over me.

 **Hellooo badass armor, I mean fans! I know my updates don't come up very often (life happens), but I really got into this chapter! Now, after much work (and a bit of feedback in the poll on my bio), I will be setting up a DeviantArt account for the story! Search up Swordsman795 on the website, and hopefully you'll find the art I have drawn so far! For now, it's just Mathias' Keyblade and armor. If anyone would like to post their art for their OC's, feel free to do so. I'm pretty sure I can't draw everything, so anyone who wants to submit stuff can (at least I think that's how DeviantArt works, not very sure). Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this new chapter and have a good morning, afternoon, evening, or night!**


	8. Chapter 8

Once I had entered the Command Style classroom, the potent scent of salt water hit my nose as the floor changed from a bland tile to a soft layer of sand. The "classroom" was an entire island, palm trees and wooden structures dotted across the sands.

"Woah! Is this another world?" I asked Master Ava, who stood in front of me towards the lapping shore.

"No, but this is a replica of one that our Master took us to once. I find that wielders can learn in a relaxed environment just as well as in battle," Master Ava answered, her hood blowing with the slight, salty breeze.

She led me towards an area with a waterfall pooling around the rock faces, other students already sitting down along them.

As I sat down, a guy to the right of me stuck his hand out to me in greeting.

"Welcome to CS class. I'm Vincent, by the way," he told me.

Vincent looked slightly younger than me by two years, with spikey black hair and dark blue eyes. He stood at 5"7, was well-built and had a toned skin, wearing a black tank top and faded but roughed up jeans.

"Thanks. You probably already know, but my name is Mathias. Master Ira introduced me at the assembly the other day."

"Ah, so you're him. I didn't recognize you with your armor. We don't have to wear it all of the time, so why don't you relax?" Vincent stated, a calm demeanor about him.

"O-oh, well, I would if I could but-" I began, but the other guy next to me burst into laughter.

"Yo Vin, maybe he doesn't know and is stuck! You stuck man?" he ventured, trying not to laugh as much.

Vincent sighed, shrugging his shoulders at me and the guy.

"I don't know Baritone, you tell me. You've gotten stuck in your armor before, remember?"

The guy, Baritone, looked away, scratching the back of his neck and whistling a tune. He had light brown hair, hazel eyes, stood at 5"4, looked to be 15 years old, wearing a black and white short-sleeved hoodie with black and red stitched shorts and grey shoes.

"Don't remind me! I was stuck for hours in that before finding the release switch," he groaned in exasperation.

"Well, I'm just like this for now, but I'll be fine," I assured them, looking back towards the shoreline where Master Ava stood.

"Now everyone, today I have assigned you into parties to fulfill some missions for me," Master Ava instructed.

"You will be going into different parts of town to track down groups of Heartless that have been appearing recently. They are of the Neoshadow variety, but shouldn't be too much for you to handle."

The class chattered with anticipation, a new energy flowing through them. An actual mission would allow them to demonstrate their abilities to the Masters and even get them chosen for the upcoming Tournament.

"Mathias, you will be the leader in a party with Vincent and Baritone for this mission," Master Ava announced, after she had set up the other students into their respective parties.

"Me? But I know nothing about this Form yet, haven't gotten used to the armor, and-" I tried to explain, but Vincent put his hand on my shoulder suddenly.

"Do not worry, we will help you the best we can. You can count on us," Vincent reassured me.

"Meh, we'll at least stop you from dying a horrific death. Besides that, you're on your own," Baritone noted melodramatically.

I shrugged, knowing I was stuck like this either way, and took off with Vincent and Baritone towards the area in town where Master Ava had directed us.

The Neoshadow was reported to have been last seen in the Daybreak Park, with at least 10 or more other Heartless accompanying it. Entering the park, an unknown growl came from the trees overhead of us.

"That doesn't sound good, we should WAH-" cautioned Vincent before he was pushed down by two Shadows followed by a Soldier.

Me and Baritone summoned our Keyblades, his forming into one with a blue blade that had a blue flame at the end, a keychain of purple lightning leading to a circular charm of pink and black.

Baritone shot a magnet field into the air, quickly pulling the Shadows off Vincent, allowing him to summon his own Keyblade, one with a dark blade that led to a heart outline at the end, its guard red and wielded in a backwards grip. Vincent then released a slightly darker fira towards the Shadows, dispersing them in a black puff cloud.

"Thanks Barry!" Vincent shouted, glancing over towards me and the Soldier.

Not used to my armor just yet, I swung clumsily at the Heartless, missing it almost completely. It struck out with its claws, knocking me back.

"Shoot! Just stop it!" I warned it, and strangely it stood still, a clock appearing above its head.

Taking no chances, I lunged forward, striking three times and walked away as the symbol vanished, my hits taking affect as the Soldier fell.

"Group up with me! Let's take down that Neoshadow!" I announced to my friends, following behind me.

As we ran to the center of the park, two Aeroplanes came from the trees in front of us and fired, but Vincent charged forward, using Reflect and bashing them with Blitz. However, some of those reflected shots hit my arm, slowing me down slightly until Baritone healed me with a Cure spell.

Reaching the middle, the Neoshadow turned to face us, eyes glowing an unnatural yellow. It brushed its hands along the ground, revealing two more Neoshadows.

"Mathias! I'll distract the other two while you attack the leader. Maybe that will drive them off!" Baritone informed me, diverting his course to the left as I continued.

Baritone unleashed a ring of water at the group of Heartless, entangling the new ones but missing the leader as it leapt into the air. Landing ahead of me, the Neoshadow ran at me and kicked at my legs, causing me to fall.

"Ghh! Come on!" I grunted, blasting a Thunder at the Heartless, barely leaving a scratch.

 _'Seriously!? How powerful is that thing?'_ I thought, but couldn't dwell on it long as the Neoshadow pounced on me, its dark hands seeming to melt around me.

As I struggled to raise me Keyblade, a wave of force that blinded it and pushed it off, eyes squinting towards the source. It was Vincent, an aura of light and darkness brimming off him, a look of anger on his face and his eyes a mixture of black and white.

"Woah, you okay Vin-" I began, but he shot past me and struck the Neoshadow with multiple energy volleys.

"Be careful Mathias!" Baritone yelled, still locked in combat with the other Heartless.

"Vincent's Command style makes him go into a frenzy, so don't get near him!"

Taking that into account, I focused my attention on the Neoshadow leader, building up power in my Keyblade. A reticule faded into my vision, targeting the Heartless as I released five bolts of steel energy, hitting each of its limbs and head, causing it to fall backwards.

In that moment, Vincent plunged his Keyblade through the Neoshadow, a look of pain and shock flashing on its face before it vanished, releasing a heart into the air. Once Vincent stood up, the aura around his body left, his posture and eyes returning to normal.

"Wh-what happened?" Vincent asked, a puzzled look coming over him.

"We defeated the Neoshadows and other Heartless. Are you okay?" I questioned him, concerned that he may go berserk again.

"Yeah, I'm good. I just… lost it a bit out there." Vincent replied solemnly, staring down at his hands.

After that, none of us spoke as we left the park, happy with the outcome, but at what cost?

 **In an unknown location…**

"I see you have returned from your mission, Spiralus," the Dark Master said as Spiralus knelt before them.

"Ah yes, and what a fun mission it was. Such action! Couldn't have missed it if I'd tried!" Spiralus reported.

"Good. And what of our young Mathias? Has the magic taken its effect?"

"Slowly, but surely my Master. Being in that armor, he has yet to feel anything. But when it hits, oh boy, the calamity that will ensue will be marvelous!" Spiralus declared.

The Dark Master nodded, motioning for him to leave.

"Soon, the power of the Clockwork of Fate shall turn for us…"

 **A/N:** HELOOOO EVERYBODY! Sorry, had to get that out of my system. Anyways, it's been awhile since I've written, but it's good to get back at it! As always, leave a review if you want (It always helps me out to know how I'm doing!) and PM me if you have specific questions (But no spoilers will be told!). So, without further ado, have a fantastic day, afternoon, or evening!


	9. Chapter 9

Following our battle with the Neoshadow and its Heartless, we reported back to Master Ava to inform her of our success. As the class was dismissed, I approached Master Ava.

"Master Ava, there's something extra that I wish to report regarding our mission" I confessed.

"Ok, what is on your mind, Mathias? From the sound of it, there's something bothering you," Master Ava gently told me.

"Well, it's about Vincent," I began. "When using his Command Form, I could see that some dark energy was used in his attacks. He also seemed to have almost no control over his actions, like the regular Vincent didn't exist."

Master Ava frowned, looking downward at the sand below us, her hands clasped together.

"So, then the Master's warnings were true… Wielders can tap into the darkness…" she muttered to herself, not loudly enough for me to hear.

"Mathias, we Foretellers teach of light as the only way to save the world, but not everyone sees it that way. Vincent may be losing a fight to the darkness, changing him as a person. For now, just be cautious. He may not be doing this intentionally, but if he is, it might become a problem," Master Ava related to me, her hands tightening their grip on each other.

I nodded, but not convinced that Vincent could become an ally of darkness. As I turned to leave, I looked back at Master Ava, a wishful expression on her face as she stared towards the ocean.

 _"To face the darkness within ourselves… But to what end? There is no light without darkness."_ I considered, the smell of salt and sound of an ocean world's away faded as I walked into the hallway.

Down the only part of the Academy I had not been to thus far, I found a wooden door with a sign above it reading, "Flowmotion Class". As I reached for the door handle, it swung open slowly, creaking on old hinges. Entering, I looked around the room, alight by candles on metal holdings, the walls of cobblestone creating an atmosphere of calm, but remaining mysterious at the same time. To my surprise, each student in the room was on the floor, sitting in chairs as if they were asleep.

"What is this? Did I miss the nap period?" I pondered aloud, not receiving a response from any of the sleeping students.

My Chirithy started to vibrate, causing me to take it out and look at the message on the screen.

" **Have a seat, Mathias,"** the message read, sent to me from Master Gula, who, along with the students, was fast asleep.

Weirded out, I cautiously sat down in an empty seat, waiting for something to happen. For a few moments, nothing did. Then, I started feeling sleepy, a yawn escaping my mouth.

"Yooou know, there should be an easier way to… to…" I started, but sleep overtook me as I lost consciousness.

 **At the same time…**

"Spiralus, come to me," the booming voice of the Dark Master commanded.

A figure materialized before them, wearing a dark cloak with a golden interior lining, a high collar up to his chin, with an orange mask with a spiral pattern on the right eye covered by a black hood.

"Ask, and you shall receive! Who's today's lucky winner?" Spiralus chuckled coldly.

"I believe it's time to help the seed of darkness sprout within Mathias. Inside the realm of dreams, anything can happen, even to the brightest of wielders," the Dark Master divulged.

"Ah, I knew I would have fun today! So, what's it going to be today? Maybe the classic, 'Give into the darkness!' line, or maybe the, 'Only I can complete your training!' line? So many choices…" Spiralus murmured as he slipped back into the dark portal in which he came from.

The Dark Master smirked, their yellow eyes shimmering from the pitch-black room.

 **Within the dream world…**

I awoke to the florescent light of a lamppost beaming onto my face as I stood up from the floor.

"You know Master, there are better places to nap than on the ground," a voice chimed in above me.

I looked up to see Corrin, my owl Companion sitting on the lamppost, a look of confusion across his face.

"Well, I didn't choose to fall asleep here. Wait a second, where's my armor?" I commented, looking at myself to find I was back in my own body.

"In a dream, you take the form of whatever you truly look like in your heart. Such is the way to dreams, always in flux and motion," Corrin explained, fluttering down from the post to land upon my shoulder.

"Where's Scarlet? Shouldn't she be here as well?" I asked, not seeing her in my line of sight.

"Ah, well you see Master, Scarlet has a habit of being impatient, so she ran off in search of your class. Always must be doing something, that one." Corrin relayed.

"Hmm, we should go after her. Finding my class would be good as well," I nodded, standing up to being my search.

I scanned my surroundings, seeing buildings of dark brown wood, windows of yellow light dotting each building, and multiple neon signs along the doorframes of some. While staring to walk around, something flew past me at a great speed, jumping off the walls and swinging around lampposts.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the wonderful world of Traverse Town!" a boy announced as other flashes of purple light gathered in the plaza, the other students.

The boy looked to be 15 years old, with spikey black hair dashed with blue highlights, wearing a dark blue formal shirt and a black tie, dark green cargo pants, an open blue hoodie, green and red sneakers, and a red crystal tied to a cord around his neck.

" _Hmm, all he's missing is the top hat, but I could definitely see him working at a circus!_ " I thought to myself as I joined the rest of the students.

"Ah ha! Welcome Mathias, we have been waiting for you!" the boy smiled, jumping down from the lamppost with an acrobat's expertise.

"I'm Jaden, one of your classmates. Now, do you have any idea where Master Gula is? We can't find him anywhere!" Jaden asked.

"Woah, slow down. Master Gula is missing? And why would I know where he is?" I questioned him, a bit overwhelmed at Jaden's energetic state.

"Yeah, when we all arrived here, Master Gula was nowhere to be seen. I also knew you would be joining us because Master Gula said as much, but you weren't at the Second District where we came in," Jaden explained quickly.

From the crowd of students near us, a purple streak landed next to Jaden, a young girl of 12, which surprised me. Her wavy ice blue hair draped over one side of her pale face, standing at 4"2, wearing a light blue ruffled skirt and blue ankle boots and socks.

"We have yet to survey the Third District, since this numskull jumped away like a chicken with its head cut off," the girl insulted, getting a pained look from Jaden.

"Sheesh Yuki, for such a young girl, you know how to hit somebody right where it hurts! I was going to check that out but then spotted Mathias here," Jaden rushed, slightly embarrassed.

At that moment, an explosion came from the door leading to the Third District, causing all of us to be blown backwards. Out of the newly created hole in the wall came a figure, clothed in a black cloak and wearing an orange mask, his Keyblade made with a hilt of dark thorns, yellow eyes along the main blade. meeting in a saw blade at the end, its keychain that of a rippled eye as the whole blade emitted a crimson energy.

"Well well well, look what we have here. A bunch of students all in one place without a Master in sight. Talk about lucky!" the figure taunted as the group of students started to recollect themselves.

I stood up as well, readying my Keyblade in my hands to face the strange attacker.

"Who are you? Why do you people keep harassing me and my fellow classmates?" I demanded, a stern look in my eyes.

"Hey buddy, you're in no position to make any demands here. Besides, you wouldn't want your classmates to get hurt, now would we?" he threatened, pointing toward the students behind me.

Thorns were encircling the students, including Jaden and Yuki, but both jumped upward and escaped.

"Let them go stranger, or you're in for a world of hurt," Jaden warned, his tone changing dramatically from his happy-go-lucky tone just a few moments ago.

The stranger chuckled, pointing his Keyblade towards me, not Jaden.

"I will consider stopping, but me and Mathias need to have a little chat first. Tell me, have the Foretellers been wholly truthful with you about the future?" he questioned.

"What do you mean? How are they supposed to know about the future?" I asked, a confused look on Jaden and Yuki's faces as well as mine.

"Ahh. So, that's the case. Well, if you want to find out, why not ask? After all, one of them has already fallen to darkness," the stranger remarked, a gasp coming from the crowd behind us.

' _Could it be true? Master Gula told me of a potential traitor within the Foretellers. Argh, I don't know what to believe!_ ' I thought as the stranger stared at me, his head cocked to one side.

"Yes, trust nobody, not even yourself. Darkness lurks around every corner, waiting for an opportunity. Like this!" he yelled as he disappeared, reappearing on the roof behind us and spun towards the trapped students, his Keyblade and body encased in a dark aura.

Before I could move, Yuki dashed forward and blocked his attack barely with a Reflect spell, but he vanished and came from above with a Dark Firaga attack. This hurt Yuki, pushing her into the dome of thorns trapping the other students and out of sight. Using Flowmotion, I boosted off the lamppost next to me and did a swirling dive at the stranger, tackling him against the wall.

"Now the fun begins! For the glory of the Dark Master, I, Spiralus, will release your inner darkness!" Spiralus stated, using his Keyblade to spin me around, kicking me away.

Suddenly, a howl erupted from the nearby alley, and Scarlet, my wolf Companion, lunged at Spiralus, catching him off guard. Jaden, seeing the opportunity, summoned his Keyblade, blue with bright orange and red marks along its crescent blade, a circus tent dangling from the keychain, and slid under Spiralus' legs, knocking him over. He didn't stay down for long as he viciously swung at Jaden with lightning speed, Jaden trying to keep up with blocking.

"ENOUGH!" I shouted as I hurled three bursts of plasma lightning at Spiralus, two hitting him but one blasted Jaden square in the chest, sending both flying to the wall.

"No, no no no! Jaden!" I cried as I ran over to him, seeing that he was out cold, a burn mark around his upper right torso.

"N-ngh, now that's the power I love to see! Darkness hides great power, if you know how to use it," Spiralus mocked gruffly, vanishing into a dark portal that shut as soon as it had opened, also releasing Yuki and the other students.

"I-I don't know what happened, I just…" I began, but felt Yuki push me aside with impressive strength for her age, standing in front of Jaden.

I backed up, the other students staring at me until I bumped into something, falling over and landing on my face. I looked up to see Master Gula, a grim expression showing from under his mask.

"We need to talk," Master Gula told me coldly as he snapped his fingers, Twilight Town disappearing to bring us back to the Flowmotion classroom.

As the other students escorted Jaden's unconscious body out, Master Gula sat at his desk, hands folded over each other.

"Now," Master Gula began. "Start from the beginning. Leave out no detail."

 **A/N:** Hey everyone, sorry about the late update! I have had a bit of personal affairs to deal with, nothing serious. This is probably my longest chapter to date, so please feel free to tell me how I did! Also, this may be a weird question, but does anyone have any suggestions for music I should listen to? Music helps me set the mood for my writing, so suggest away (Doesn't have to KH related!) Another thing is that I have a Tumblr if anyone wants to know ( Swordsman795). As always, have a good morning, afternoon, or night!


	10. Chapter 10

Once I had explained the events that had occurred in Traverse Town to Master Gula, he sighed, his arms resting upon the wooden desk at the front of the classroom.

"So, this 'Spiralus' told you that the Foretellers could see the future, is that right?" Master Gula inquired.

I nodded, still worried about how he would respond about my actions. I didn't mean to hurt Jaden, but that rage, the feeling of sadness when others are put in harm's way because of me… It took over.

"Hmm, while it what he said is true, it is not the full truth. As Foretellers, we were gifted The Book of Prophesies by our Master, in which events of the future have been written. However, those descriptions do not tell of specifics, only of what broad events the future holds," Master Gula informed me hesitantly.

"So, you knew darkness was rising, but not how. Some useful book that is…" I mumbled.

"Mathias. Be grateful for what we do know, for without that, we might as well be lost already," Master Gula reprimanded.

"Sorry Master, I'm just anxious about what's been happening over these last few days. The attacks on not just me, but other students as well, along with the increase of Heartless. It… scares me," I admitted, feeling better with that weight off my shoulders.

Master Gula did not look surprised, after all even he felt weary of the closing danger. Especially since it was out that one of them, if what the masked man was to be trusted.

"Mathias, let me give you some advice, something my Master would always tell us when we felt lost or afraid. 'May your heart be your guiding key.' A heart is a person's greatest strength," Master Gula assured me.

"May my heart be my guiding key. Thank you, Master Gula," I answered.

A message suddenly popped up on my visor's display, reading a message from Master Ava.

" **Mathias, your body's wounds have healed to the point where it is safe for you to return to your body. Please visit the Nurse's Office ASAP.** "

"Well, looks like I get to have my body back today. Thank you again, Master Gula," I said respectfully, giving a bow and turned to walk out into the hallway.

"Mathias, if you need someone to talk to, do not hesitate to seek my counsel," Master Gula advised me as I gave a nod back in response, then continued on my way.

Reaching the Nurse's Office, I moved towards my bed, finding Master Ava as well as Eve beside me.

"Ah, there you are Mathias. Are you ready to return to your body?" Master Ava asked.

"Yeah, as much as I like this armor, I would really like to be able to eat again," I quipped, making Eve smile.

I stood next to my body, putting one hand on my actual shoulder and the other on the activation button to my armor, as my armor started to dissipate into light that flowed into my body. I couldn't see anything for a second, but then started to open my eyes, blinking at the lights above me.

"Okay, nope. Those are really bright lights, I'm going back to sleep," I joked, trying to get a bit of a rise out of Eve.

"Alright Sleepyhead, no more 2 day naps for you," Eve retorted, offering me her hand as she helped me sit up.

"Has it really been 2 days since my fight with that stranger in the storage room?" I asked, both Eve and Master Ava nodding their heads in agreement.

"Readjusting to your body may take a day or two, so take the rest of today easy Mathias," Master Ava told me as I let out a sigh of relief.

As I started to move my legs, I immediately tripped and fell on my face against the cement floor.

"Yep, back in my body again for sure…" I groaned as Eve helped me get back on my feet.

She put my arm around her to support me, which made me feel embarrassed that I couldn't walk very well right now.

"Sorry Eve, I didn't mean for you to carry me around-" I began, but Eve shook her head.

"Don't mention it. What are friends for? Besides, I can show you around the school more. It's not all classrooms!" Eve responded cheerfully.

"T-thank you, Eve," I replied, my cheeks turning a bit red.

Together, we walked outside of the Foreteller's Tower to the courtyard, bustling with hundreds, maybe thousands of students going about their days. Some were practicing their combat skills, some playing sports, some eating and talking with friends, and others working on schoolwork. These students were all in different corners of the square courtyard that surrounded Foreteller Tower.

"Sit here, I'll grab us some lunch from the food court and be right back!" Eve shouted as she ran towards the food court, leaving me at a table under a big oak tree, its shade covering the table from the sun's heat.

As I sat under the shade of the tree, looking up at the cloudy sky, I took notice of someone in the higher branches of the tree, his yellow tunic seeming familiar to me.

"Hey Melit, is that you up there?" I called up, startling him and causing him to lose his balance and tumble down the tree branches onto the table.

"Oww, can't somebody just leave me be?" Melit complained as he rubbed his bruised back and sat down across from me.

"What were you even doing up there?" I asked.

"Well, my noble Mathias, I was conducting an extremely important experiment! See that girl over there?" he disclosed to me, pointing his finger at a girl near another table of three people about 20 feet away.

The girl Melit was referring to had shoulder length dark brown hair, cinnamon colored eyes, and looked to be 5"9. She wore a white button-up shirt under a dark red vest, a black scarf around her neck to match her black pants and red shoes. As we watched, she was reading a book, only sometimes looking up to contribute to the conversation at her table of friends.

"Okay, what about her? Is it the book she's reading or…" I inquired, but was cut off by Melit's laughter.

"No man! The way she brushes her hair behind her ear, that body, and the way her eyes catch the sunlight! She's so hot!" he whispered to me, a dopey smile coming across his face.

Although I did agree that she was pretty, Melit was being a bit creepy about this. I mean, watching somebody from a tree sounded pretty stalker-ish to me. However, before I could ponder on it further, Eve came back to the table with a pizza box and some bottled water.

"Here you go Mathias. Oh, hey Melit! I didn't know that you were here," Eve exclaimed.

"Hi. So, do you think I should go for it? I'm going for it!" Melit remarked, going over to the girl's table and started talking to her.

Eve looked at me with a confused expression, and I shrugged as she set the box and drinks down as I took a piece and started to eat. I practically inhaled my food as it felt like I hadn't eaten in days, which was true. Eve started to eat as well, but our attention was quickly averted from our food as Melit flew into the tree above us, again yelling and falling through its branches onto the ground beside the table.

"So, how'd it go?" I hummed, a bit amused at Melit's bad luck but also concerned for his health. One can only fall down the same tree so many times.

"Woooah, what a woman… it went great…" Melit groaned, promptly passing out from his lack of energy.

Eve looked surprised, but before I could explain what had happened to her, the other two people from the girl's table came over to us.

"Well, there goes another one," the one on the left said.

He had a white and blue striped unzipped hoodie with the hood up, covering his white and spikey hair that hung over his right eye, his eyes being dark blue with tinges of white. He also had a black shirt and jeans with black and blue boots, standing at 5"4'.

"W-w-what do you mean by 'another one'?!" Eve stammered, looking towards Melit's unconscious and slumped-over body by the tree.

"Lucifer, don't frighten her more than she already is, it makes for a bad impression," the other guy spoke up.

This guy had short blonde hair with a pair of goggles on top of it, startling sapphire eyes, and was 4"11' tall. He wore a black tank top with a red Chinese dragon logo on it covered by a sideways shoulder strap attached to a piece of armor on his right shoulder, camo green pants with a black cross along the left leg, along with a brown belt, gloves, and boots. I also noticed he had a lion shaped necklace over his shirt and a wolf earring on his left ear.

"Sorry about all of that, Stella has a bit of a tendency to force annoyances away when she's focused. I'm Len, by the way," he apologized.

"How many times has this happened?" I asked curiously, leaning Melit against the oak tree.

"Honestly, I'm not sure. The last one was… maybe a week ago?" Len told us.

As starling as this was, I felt bad for Stella. She was just minding her own business, then Melit came out of the blue and started talking to her when it looked like she wanted to be left alone. I got up from my spot at the table and tried to over to where Stella was sitting.

"Mathias! Wait!" Eve called out to me, stopping me in my tracks.

"Are you sure you can walk alright now? Your injuries haven't gone away fully," she worried.

"Yeah, I think I'm okay for right now Eve. I'll tell you if I need help, promise," I smiled, glad that I had someone looking out for me.

While walking over, I could see that she was back to reading her book, not looking up at me when I approached.

"Hello there. I'm sorry about Melit, the guy you just pushed into the tree. He's not a bad guy, he just doesn't know when to stop sometimes," I informed her.

She placed a bookmark inside the book she was reading and directed her attention towards me.

"Thank you for explaining his actions. I was rather annoyed about what I was trying to read, and kind of had to take my anger out on something. He just happened to be right there. My name is Stella Crystal Hart. It is nice to meet you, Mathias," she answered.

"Have I really become so well-known at school already? It has only been a week or so, at least so I am told," I responded, scratching the back of my neck in embarrassment.

"Yes, due to your awakening against the Darkside, your actions that saved Master Ira at the assembly, and your fight with the coated figure, you have become quite well known," Stella confirmed.

"Wait, how did you know about-" I started.

"The black coated fighter? I am a student of Master Invi's, and was in class when your fight occurred," she explained.

"Ah, okay then. Sorry about Melit again. See you later!" I said as I went back to where Eve, Len, Lucifer, and Melit were.

"Are you finished with lunch, Mathias? There are still places around school and town that you've got to see!" Eve asked, acting excited but seemed a bit nervous.

I nodded, and we went off towards the rest of the courtyard, leaving behind Stella, Len, Lucifer, and a very unconscious Melit. Eve showed me the training yard, in which many wielders were practicing various magical and physical skills against training dummies as well as each other in friendly competition. After that, we went into town where we looked at the various stores in the shopping district.

'Oh, Mathias, can we go visit this one store over here? I've been waiting to go there for a while!" Eve urged.

"Sure, what kind of store is it?" I asked.

"You'll see!" Eve exclaimed as she took my hand and dashed down the sidewalk with me in tow.

"Woah, not so fast!" I yelled, still a bit tired and slow due to my readjustment to a normal body.

Once Eve came to a stop, I looked up at the store's large sign, covered in balloons and various Dream Eaters, reading " _Sweet Dreams! A Dream Eater Store!_ ". As we entered, the first thing I noticed were the number of jars lining the walls. Blue, purple, yellow, and even multicolored clouds sat in these jars, each being labeled with different names.

"What is this place?" I asked in befuddlement, wondering why Eve would take me somewhere just to look at colorful jars.

"This is a Dream Eater creation store! Here, you can mix together different Dream Pieces to make new Companions!" Eve explained, her teal eyes seeming to glimmer off the jars' reflections.

"I've finally saved up enough munny to buy the pieces I need to create a new Dream Eater! So far, I have a Hebby Repp and a Me Bunny, but I've always wanted a Necho Cat!" she told me enthusiastically.

Eve then grabbed a basket, putting in it 7 jars, 6 that said, "Rampant Figment" and 1 saying, "Dulcet Fantasy".

"What should I get? Do you have any suggestions Eve?" I asked her, feeling a bit overwhelmed by the many choices.

"Hmm, I'm not sure. Since I am creating a Necho Cat, I'm using a recipe I brought with me. However, since you don't have one, go with whatever pieces stand out the most to you!" Eve suggested.

With that in mind, I started to look down the aisles. The first thing I decided to grab was a jar reading, "Brilliant Fantasy", and after that I grabbed 4 that said, "Lofty Fantasy". I didn't know why I grabbed 4 of the same piece, but something told me that I would need them. Once I had put all my Dream Pieces in a nearby basket, Eve and I went over to the check-out counter, where an older lady stood behind the counter.

"Hello you two, how may I help you today?" the old woman spoke.

"Hi, I would like to create a Necho Cat please! Here are the Dream Pieces and the recipe," Eve told her cheerfully as the woman looked over the jars.

"Alright, that will be about 1000 munny," she told Eve as she pulled out her wallet and gave the munny to the old woman.

"Okay then, now watch as your Dream Eater is formed before your very eyes!" the woman announced as she uncapped each jar, spilling its contents into a large, black pot behind the counter.

As each Dream Piece fell, sparks and mini firework effects flew out of the pot, eventually forming into a purple cloud that dissipated to reveal a purple and light blue cat, its tail in the shape of a music note.

"Wow! He's so cute! I'm going to call him… Jackson!" Eve shouted in happiness.

Jackson seemed to like his new name, musical notes appearing around him as he spun in a circle.

Once Jackson went next to Eve, I placed my basket of Dream Pieces on the counter.

"Um, I don't have a recipe, but can you make something with these pieces?" I asked the owner, a look of slight annoyance on her face.

However, after she closely examined the pieces I had selected, the annoyance on her face faded, replaced by a look of interest.

"Hmm, these are a very interesting choice of Dream Pieces, young man. Usually this combination would create a Pegaslick Dream Eater, but perhaps…" she trailed off, leaving me and Eve exchanging confused looks.

The shopkeeper then took each piece out of its jar and added them to the mixing pot, but unlike with Eve's creation process, added in what appeared to be a Blizzard spell scroll, and stirring the mixture together. As the shopkeeper finished, a green cloud accompanied by sparks and balls of color began to appear and quickly dissipate, a green and orange creature immerging from the cloud with a _POOF_! The Dream Eater had two wings, a pointed beak, two arms and legs with single claws, and a tail with spikes sticking out of it. It yawned, looking at me with large, light blue eyes.

"Wow, a dragon! Cool!" I exclaimed, the dragon flipping in the air and letting out a small roar.

"Ah! I knew something was different when you chose those pieces. This is a Ryu Dragon, a rare and mighty Dream Eater indeed. Treat him with care, and he will be a very loyal Companion," the shopkeeper pronounced.

"What will you name him, Mathias?" Eve asked, the dragon tilting its head to one side in question.

I thought about it for a moment. Dragons usually had long and complicated names, but I wasn't sure that I could come up with something like that.

"How about Oliver? Do you like that?" I asked my dragon, with him giving me a nuzzle on my cheek and roaring his approval.

"That sounds great! Nice to meet you Oliver!" Eve concurred, Oliver seeming to smile back at her.

"Oh, I almost forgot. How much will this cost?" I inquired, looking back towards the shopkeeper, but she shook her head.

"Something as rare as this almost never happens in my store. For giving me an opportunity to see your dragon, consider this one on the house," she answered.

"Really? Thank you so much!" I cheered, leaving the store with Eve as Jackson and Oliver came with us.

As the sun started to set on Daybreak Town, Eve led me to a hilltop that overlooked the entire town, the rooftops sparkling in the twilight rays. We sat down on the field of grass, flowers of yellow, purple, and red lining the path we had walked on to reach the top.

"This is my favorite spot in town. You can see everything from up here and relax," Eve said, her hair blowing back in the slight afternoon breeze.

 _"Wow, what a day. So many things have happened lately, so it's nice to just sit back and relax,"_ I thought, staring at the sun dipping down towards the far-off mountains.

"Thank you, Eve, for everything today. I needed a break from all of that," I smiled, my hands on the ground next to me as we sat.

"No problem Mathias. You can always count on me to help you," Eve responded, a touch of color in her cheeks as she looked at me, but quickly averted her gaze.

Eve had been one of the first friends I'd ever had. She had always wanted to help others, and that kind and selfless nature of hers led to a strong bond between us. As the years went by, I started to think of her as more than just a friend, somebody who I wanted to make happy. However, I… just haven't had the courage to tell Eve how I feel about her. It could be okay, but the fear or rejection seemed to hold me back. Maybe Master Gula was right about letting my heart guide me in more ways than one. As I was lost in thought however, I felt a sudden pressure on my right shoulder.

"*Yawn* I'm feeling a bit sleepy, Mathias. Wake me up in the morning, would youuu," Eve whispered as she fell asleep on my arm.

"E-eve!" I replied embarrassed, but she was sound asleep already, her breathing slow and quiet.

I smiled, taking off my vest and laying Eve down onto the grass, using my vest as a pillow for Eve.

"Good night Eve. Sweet dreams," I whispered as I laid down beside her, the sun disappearing and letting the stars shine down upon our sleeping bodies.

 **A/N:** Hello everyone! So, this is a bit of a break from the action, giving a little insight to Mathias' feelings about Eve, as well as the introduction of the last 2 OC's, Lucifer and Len! To all of you that have submitted OC's, thank you so much! This story wouldn't be what it is today without your support! A little side note: Thank you to the anonymous reviewer, known to me as _A Simple Reader_! Your critique and advise on how to write has helped me in so many ways! Now, as always, have a wonderful day, afternoon, or night!


	11. Chapter 11

My dream started off pretty normal, if you call being surrounded by pitch black and an ominous atmosphere normal. However, as I looked around, I recognized the area I was in as the large ceramic pedestal where I had first retrieved my Keyblade. I did not get a clear look at it before, but now I could make out the image depicted on the pedestal, a picture of my Keyblade in the middle circle surrounded by five colored circles, representing each of the gems embedded on my weapon's hilt.

 _"You better be careful to keep yourself in check, you know,"_ a voice echoed out from the darkness.

"Hello? Who's there?" I asked, a figure appearing in front of me in a blur.

This figure wore a black coat, but it was unlike the other black coats those Dark Wielders were wearing when I had fought them. Instead of the silver flourishes and large rings around the top of the zipper, these were in gold, casting a slight glimmer off the ceramic floor.

 _"Don't worry, I'm not here to harm you. Unlike those who are running amuck and ruining my fashion sense, I have come to offer you some help,"_ the man spoke.

"Oookay, but how can I know that I can trust you?" I replied, still on edge about the situation.

The man sighed, putting his arms in the air in a ' _I don't know'_ gesture, then shaking his head.

" _See, now that's the kind of question there really isn't an answer to. Search your feelings, err, heart, since we are already here. You know you need my help_ ," the man mused, his words already ringing truth.

"Hm. Alright then, I'll trust you, for now. How can you help me then?" I decided, ready to hear this guy out.

" _Now we're getting somewhere! First, take this Summoning Orb,_ " the man chuckled, tossing me a red orb adorned with a Roman Numeral 7, or VII.

" _This is a summon used to call a powerful warrior to aid you in battle. Although he may seem a bit standoff-ish, he will bravely fight to the end._ "

I nodded, placing the orb into my pocket, its warmth seeming like a small fire burning brightly.

" _Secondly, I must warn you that the worlds you shall soon visit will not welcome you with open arms. Darkness has spread everywhere, and it will not stop until the worlds are lost. Also, be weary of your allies. Some of them are not who they seem to be._ "

"What do you mean? My friends wouldn't betray me!" I retorted, but even as my words left my mouth I doubted myself. With what happened to Jeff the other day, as well as Icarus suddenly being overwhelmed by darkness and attacking me, I knew full well that what the man said was true.

" _I know that look very well Mathias. I see it all the time. Do not despair, because darkness cannot exist without light, and therefore nobody can be completely evil. Well, maybe some can be 99.9% evil, but you get my point!_ " the man tried to reassure me.

The man took his gaze off me for a moment to look at the ceramic picture on the floor, specifically looking at its depiction of my Keyblade.

" _Your Keyblade is a special one, even among the Foretellers' Keyblades. It can control time to a certain extent, but more than any other blade before it. However, you must control its power or it will begin to consume you,_ " he cautioned, looking back upwards at me.

"Hold on, how do you know this? Who are you!? I have more questions!" I shouted, but my vision was beginning to fade as the surrounding darkness closed in.

" _All in good time Mathias. Oh, I forgot to mention that your Keyblade has a name! All of them do, and they can unlock a Keyblade's full potential! You need to figure out yours!_ " the man rushed as the darkness covered my eyes completely.

Bright sunlight and the chirping of small birds greeted me as I opened my eyes again, sitting up to stretch my arms and let out a yawn before lying back down in the soft grass.

"Morning Sleepyhead!" Eve sang above me, causing me to flail about and sit up again.

"Eve! Sheesh, you startled me!" I blurted out and looked behind me as she started to laugh.

"Sorry, I couldn't help it! I didn't want to force you awake, but it seems like you're up now!" Eve apologized, still laughing a bit.

She held out her hand to help me up as she gave me back my vest.

"Thank you for letting me use your vest as a pillow. I-I didn't think that I would actually fall asleep up here," Eve said nervously, seemingly turning a bit red.

"O-oh. N-no problem," I replied back, probably turning as equally red as Eve. Sure, we had spent time together, but never like this. Just the two of us, thinking as if the rest of the world didn't really exist besides where we were right then and there. Shaking my head and blinking to focus, I put my vest back on and pulled my Chirithy out of my pocket, the screen illuminating. The clock read 7:45 AM, with an image of my Chirithy cat running around in a panic and pointing to a tower.

"Shoot, at this rate we are gonna be late! Let's go!" I gasped as we ran down the hill overlooking the town.

Running as fast as we could, we barely reached the academy's gates as the second bell rang, signaling that we would be marked late once we arrived at class. Rushing into the classroom, Eve and I slumped over in our seats as we gasped for air, receiving a look from Master Ira. He sighed, making a mark on his clipboard and setting it down on his desk as he called the class to attention.

"Good morning everyone. Now, I have an announcement to make regarding this week's lessons. For this week, we will be traveling to another world known as the Olympus Coliseum. Here, we will be observing the tournament that will be starting," Master Ira announced, a combination of cheers and moans ensuing across the classroom.

"Aw, we don't get to fight? Why go in the first place if we don't get to participate?!" one student quipped.

"But it would be so cool to see how people from other worlds act and fight!" another replied excitedly.

"Now everyone, please quiet down. Although we will not be directly involved with the tournament, learning is not always done through action. Sometimes the best teacher is not the most direct. Now, follow me everyone," Master Ira told the class as we shuffled out of the classroom and into the Tower Courtyard.

Once all of us had gathered, Master Ira summoned his Keyblade, a long blade of white with black and gold lining ending in a crescent, a unicorn's head at the base of the blade, with a Greek pillar as its pommel surrounded by a cloud-like hand guard. Holding it out in front of him, Master Ira's Keyblade shot out a blue beam of light, creating a portal made of purple, blue, and white. As we walked through the portal after Master Ira, a feeling of warmth washed over me, sending me into a trance of calm. It's hard to describe, but I could feel my own heart, that same warmth beating from inside of it. However, there was a moment of cold, like nothing existed at all, until I emerged through the other side of the portal.

"Welcome, my students, to the Olympus Coliseum," Master Ira announced.

Behind Master Ira stood a large pantheon building with two large golden statues of Greek warriors facing towards the large wooden doors, hearths of fire aglow in the surrounding area. As everyone looked around in awe of the front gates, I looked at the large boards opposite of the doors, numerals and letters I could somehow read displaying the teams and their rankings in the Coliseum. Next to me, I heard Len gasp in a loud, high pitch tone, causing me to look at him.

"What is it Len? Have you been here before?" I inquired.

"O-oh, it's nothing. Nothing at all…" Len mumbled, clearing his throat and holding his lion shaped necklace.

While his answer didn't leave me convinced, before I had time to look for what he gasped at, Master Ira called everyone to attention and gathered us in a circle.

"Now, everyone follow me to the Coliseum stands where we can watch the fight-" Master Ira began, but the group's attention was diverted towards a small grumpy-looking goat, his beard a deep orange, pushing his way past everyone.

"Alright people move it, this isn't a temple, we've got things to do here!" He shouted until he made his way to Master Ira.

"What are you lookin at, One Horn Head? I've gotta match to oversee," the goat-man bleated.

"Ah, so you are the overseer of the tournament then. My group and I were looking to see it. Are there any seats still available?" Master Ira asked politely.

"Yeah there's still plenty of seats, but how are they any good if I don't have enough teams to participate?! One of the teams backed out at the last minute, something about a big injury. Hmph, they're probably lying and at one of Dionysus's toga parties, and those things last forever!" the goat-man groaned.

Master Ira frowned, looking over at our group, his hand resting upon his chin in thought. While he scanned the group, Master Ira looked specifically at Eve, Sera, Len, and I, a small smile appearing across his face.

"How many dropped out, I wonder?" Master Ira pondered out loud.

"Mm, it was four guys, and all of them seemed a bit in over their heads about entering if you ask me," the overseer replied, scratching his beard.

"Then you are in luck my friend! I have just the fine warriors for the tournament to go on! Mathias, Sera, Len, Eve, step forward," Master Ira announced, glancing over at the four of us.

The goat-man observed each of us, nodding his head in approval.

"Not the best I've seen, but not the worst. Why the Hades not, you're in! Name's Phil."

"Woah, are really getting to fight? Master Ira-" I started, but Sera clamped her hand over my mouth.

"Alright, this'll be great! I'm not one for sitting around while other people have fun! Eve? Len?" Sera shouted, her enthusiasm through the roof.

"A-alright. I'll do my best!" Eve agreed.

"Of course. I have to see this through," Len stated, his eyes wondering around the courtyard once more.

Phil seemed pleased with our answers, and lead us into the Coliseum's preparation room while Master Ira and the rest of our class proceeded towards the arena stands. The prep area consisted of a small room lit with two fire braziers across from each other, with the entrance to the Coliseum's fighting arena straight ahead of us.

"Now listen up rookies, I've gotta explain this quick. First rule: There are no rules. Go in there and show the crowd what you're made of! The first match is in 10 long ticks of the sundial! See yah!" Phil explained quickly as he ran out of the prep room into… wherever the ref goes for gladiator matches.

This left us, 4 slightly inexperienced students, to plan out how the heck we would even survive the first round (Thanks Phil!).

"Well, let's get started I guess. Hm, what is everyone's strengths?" I started, feeling somewhat lost when preparing for battle with people I haven't worked with before.

"I'm not much good in a fight…" Eve trailed on. "B-but I am good with healing and wind magic!"

"I mostly use long-range magic, but I can manage when in close quarters," Sera stated.

I looked over to Len, expecting him to pitch in his expertise next, but he seemed distracted, his sapphire eyes staring off into space with a look of… longing? Maybe hopefulness?

"Len? Hello, Earth to Len!" Sera chimed in, waving her hand in front of Len's face.

"O-oh, sorry about that," Len apologized, adjusting the goggles on his head. "Up close and personal attacks is where I shine, not much of a magic user."

I put my hand to my chin, going over our options. I was good at most things fighting and magic-wise, so we could use me and Len as our advance force while having Sera be our makeshift sniper and protect Eve as she healed and shielded me and Len from attacks.

"Alright, I have a plan. Len, you and I will act as our damage forces. Sera, you pick off afar enemies while making sure Eve doesn't get hurt trying to support us with healing and wind shields. Sound good?" I explained.

Each of them took a minute to think over my suggestion, all of them then nodding in agreement to my proposed battle strategy. Suddenly, a loud voice boomed from the small speaker system overhead.

"First round starts in 1 minute! Contestants, take your sides on the field!" the voice of Phil shouting loudly reverberating throughout the prep room, causing us to cover our ears.

"Sheesh, you'd think that goat would know how to modulate his voice a bit," Sera quipped.

I shrugged and motioned my friends to follow after me as we entered the arena.

 _In the Underworld…_

"Are we clear on your objective here?" a cold voice filled the air behind a warrior, his body covered by a tattered cloak with black wings, belts lining his torso and legs.

"Bring you the boy with the clock weapon, and you let me see her again," the warrior answered, his blue eyes staring towards the sky.

"Excellent. Now, remember, if you fail…"

The warrior grimaced, turning his gaze downward to the bone-littered floor, remains of the once-living bodies of many a warrior.

"I…understand,"

"As you should. Now, go. My master is not a very patient person," the cold voice commanded, a clash and flash of silver rings moving back into the darkness of the Underworld.

Upon entering the stadium, we were greeted by the roar of the crowd, but strangely the crowd wasn't there at all. The rows of seats, where one would think spectators would sit, were completely empty, not even signs of trash anywhere near them.

"Where did the crowd go? I'd love just one person watching us not get our butts kicked," Sera commented, her hand above her eyes to shield them from the flashes of the sun.

"Wait, look closer! It's a Reflect spell, put across the whole stands! It must protect the fans from being hurt in the matches," Eve observed, and as I looked closely I could see she was right.

A thin, almost invisible barrier lay at an angle in front of the stands, kind of like a how a one-way mirror let's one person see everything on the other side while the other person is kept totally oblivious. The speakers blared to life again as Phil announced the start of the first match.

"Contestants! The first round will start in ten ticks! In the blue corner, we have Shadow Platoon!"

Out of the gate came two Shadow type Heartless, two Soldiers, three Blue Rhapsodies, and three Red Rhapsodies.

"In the red corner, we have the Key Summoners! These are the newbies in town, but don't count your Hydra's before they hatch! Here we go in 3, 2, 1, START!" Phil commenced as the invisible crowd cheered.

The two Shadows melted into the ground, their flat forms moving right at us as Len ran past them towards the Red's. Len quickly jumped up and slammed one Red into the floor, but was pushed back by a Blue's icy volley. The Shadows tried to slash at Len while he was down, but I Sliding Dashed into both, dazing them and finishing them off with a single sideways swipe.

"Thanks for the save there!" Len said hurriedly, his view shifting over to Eve and Sera.

Sera had blasted two of the Blue's with one Fira, but was getting backed into a corner by the spinning Soldiers. Eve cast an Aero spell on Sera, pushing back one Soldier and calling its attention to her. It started to move forward, its claws extended and aimed at Eve's face.

"Stay away from her!" I shouted, running as fast as I could to keep Eve safe.

I reached her just in time to be hit by the Soldier's spinning kick, tossing me near the arena stands. The Soldier stood there, looking quite proud of itself. That is, until a Keyblade was shoved through its torso, the Soldier looking surprised before dissipating. Another surprise, to all of us, was that Eve was the one to do it. She stood there, Keyblade aimed towards the four remaining Heartless. I had only seen Eve's Keyblade once before, and what a sight it was. The handguard was in the shape of a heart, its handle a deep red with a keychain ending in a blue heart with angel wings. The blade itself was thinner than most I had seen, a halo circling around the middle of the blade. Atop the blade stood a bright copper orb, with larger angel wings on either side of the tip of the blade leading up to the orb.

Eve then raised her Keyblade above her head, a giant gust of wind entrapping the remaining four Heartless in a whirlwind.

"Sera, finish them off while I help Mathias recover!" Eve ordered, running over to my surprise ticket seat in the stands.

Eve poked the top of her Keyblade to my chest, a wave of peace and calm washing over me, various bruises and cuts sealing up. As I stood up, flashes of thunder hit the last Heartless inside of Eve's whirlwind, leaving nothing behind as the miniature storm cleared. The crowd, which I had somehow tuned out during the entire fight, shouted in approval and joy as Eve and I went to stand by Len and Sera.

"And this round's winners are… the Key Summoners!" Phil yelled into the speakers.

As we waved at the now visible crowd (Funny how that works. Physically gone from the action but around for the aftermath), I saw Master Ira and the rest of our class shouting their congratulations to us as well, that same small smile appearing across the Master's face. Exiting the arena, I sat down in a seat in the prep room, holding my head in my hand as it throbbed in a dull pain.

"Is something wrong, Mathias?" Len asked, looking concerned about my not so obvious pain.

"I-I'll be alright. Good fighting out there everyone. Especially you Eve! I didn't know you could do that!" I replied, grimacing at the continuing pain.

Eve came over to me, brushing my hair to the side to get a better look at my injury.

"Hmm, not good. It looks like you ran your head into one of the stone stands when you got sent flying. However, that's nothing an ice pack and some rest won't fix," Eve informed me, sounding like she was reading off a prescription from a doctor.

"Thanks Doc Eve, should I grab an apple for him while I'm at it?" Sera joked.

Eve laughed, and one after another we all followed suit. It was nice to hear a bit of laughter, given with the terrible events happening as of late. Then and there, I silently swore to myself that I would get my friends through these hard times, no matter what.

 _In another Coliseum arena…_

The warrior held his weapon aloft, its massive size and weight seeming meaningless to its wielder. With one fluid motion, the warrior dashed towards the seven enemies, preforming only one slashing motion before sheathing the sword onto his back, the Heartless leaving this existence in a puff of black smoke.

"Most impressive," a cold voice observed from atop the arena, out of earshot from the warrior.

A sheet of ice appeared before the figure, the mist around it forming into the image of a black hooded figure seated upon a throne.

"Delta, what is your progress?" the Dark Master demanded.

"Everything is going according to plan. Dealing with those four tournament goers wasn't even worth a sweat. Mathias and his team will soon meet with my pawn, and I will deliver the Clockwork of Fate to you," Delta announced, bowing his head.

"And what if your 'pawn' fails, Delta?"

"If, and only if he fails…" Delta trailed on.

"I will personally deal with him myself. I will not fail you, Master."

The Dark Master nodded, waving his hand over the ice sheet and severing the connection. Delta took one last look at the warrior, his gloved hands balled into fists.

"Oh, he won't fail. Because if he does, the woman he has been searching for will meet an untimely demise."

 **A/N: Hey everyone, Swordsman here! I'm back from vacation and back with a new chapter! Introducing Olympus Coliseum was so much fun to do, and there's more where that came from! Also, NEW KH3 TRAILER WAS EPIC! (BRING ROXAS BACK!). As always, leave a review if you want to let me know how I did, or PM if you have certain questions! Anyways, have an awesome day, afternoon, or night!**


	12. Chapter 12

Later that day, we started preparing for our next match in the tournament. After 4 hours or so of rest, which my aching head desperately needed, Phil made an announcement that our next match would be in an hour. As Eve checked everyone over for injuries and handed out items, I decided to pull Len aside to talk with him.

"So, what's up Leader? Is something wrong with my fighting?" Len worried.

"No, it's nothing like that. It's just that ever since we arrived here, you've been… on edge, in a way." I observed.

"Are you feeling alright? Should Eve take another look at you?".

"I'm okay! Really, it's nothing to be concerned about. Well, not right now at least…" Len began, gazing downward at the paved stone floor.

Something was definitely off about Len, not in a bad way, but in more of a perplexing kind of way. His situation was like a puzzle, knowing that there is a solution but not figuring out how to achieve that solution right away. This made me worried about him, and his half-true answers only added to the problem.

"Hmm, if you say so man. However, if you need somebody to talk to, I'm always happy to lend an ear," I told Len, giving a slight nod of his head in reply before I walked over towards Eve and Sera.

Both were sitting on adjacent stone slabs, Eve explaining to Sera which items did what as I pulled up a chair by them. Once Sera had pocketed the last of her items away, she looked over at me and grinned, lightly punching my shoulder.

"How's the head, Bleacher-Boy?" she teased.

"It's fine for the most part, thanks for asking. How are you two holding up?" I replied.

"Pretty well-off considering the battle. Sera had some minor cuts from the Soldier that cornered us, but I was just slightly tired from the magic usage," Eve reported.

I shook my head in approval, glad that all of us were mostly unharmed. I say mostly only because of the slight dull pain still lingering in my head. However, I'm glad it was me getting hurt over Eve. Winning was nice, but it wouldn't be worth anything if anyone was seriously injured.

"Have either of you noticed anything off about Len lately?" I asked in a hushed tone.

"Yeah, Len seems a bit more distant than normal. Like his mind is off in another world," Eve noted quietly, her eyes on Len as he started off into space.

"Well technically his mind is in this world instead of Daybreak Town, but yeah, I get what you're saying. Len keeps glancing at those leaderboards as well," Sera added.

I recalled Len looking at the leaderboards when we arrived too, his unusual gasp seeming to indicate that he knew something that the rest of us didn't. Before we could talk about Len any further, the speakers turned on, the rough voice of Phil filling the building.

"Our next round of the tournament will be starting shortly! Contestants, take to the field ASAP!".

We all stood up from our seats, meeting Len near the entrance to the arena.

"Here we go again guys! Remember, callout when you need help or see an opening in the enemy's defenses. Let's show the crowd a good show and prove how capable we are!" I announced, my friends cheering in unison as we ran out onto the arena field.

* * *

"Welcome to the Semifinal match of the Zeus Cup! Now, everyone give a loud Coliseum greeting to our contestants!" Phil exclaimed, the crowd replying with thunderous excitement.

Taking our places on the battlefield, Len and I stood in front with Eve and Sera behind us, forming a square. The gate opposite of us opened up, revealing seven Heartless in two rows. The Heartless in front wore white wrappings around their heads accompanied by blue vests and baggy pants. They held their scimitars aloft, various rings and bracelets adorning their hands and arms.

"Careful! Those are Bandits! Nasty guys from what I remember reading about," Len cautioned.

The other four Heartless behind the Bandits looked somewhat similar, but instead of scimitars they brandished cutlasses and wore bandanas with eyepatches. Naturally, they had to be Pirates. All that was missing from their appearances was a couple of parrots.

"In the Red corner, we have last match's victors, the Key Summoners! They sure showed it to Shadow Platoon. However, in the Blue corner now is the Outlaws! Nothing is considered fightin' dirty to these guys! Who's ready to rumble!?" Phil commentated.

The crowd responded in an uproar of shouting, sounding almost as eager to fight as our opponents looked.

"Here we go! 3, 2, 1, START!" Phil yelled.

The Bandits charged at us, swinging their swords wildly from side to side. Len, like last time, brashly ran to meet the charge, bringing his Keyblade over his head to counter the other swords. Len's Keyblade had a red stripped handle and handguard that was curved and pointed outwards at the far ends. Its blade was composed of two metals, one of white marble and the other of black obsidian that crossed over each other, creating a space between the two wherein laid a small black star attached to the sides of the blade. Both metals met at the tip of the blade, shaped in a pronged crescent.

"Len, on your left-" Sera called out, but was a second late as the Bandit that Len hadn't countered cut into his arm.

Len growled in pain, retreating and falling backwards as the three Bandits closed the gap between them. I was too far away to reach Len on foot, but an idea popped into my head. Who said I had to hit them up close?

"Sera, be ready to use some fire! Stop!" I commanded, raising my Keyblade directly above me, a purple gear blinking into existence.

Similar gear symbols appeared over the three Bandits, their movements coming to an abrupt halt before they could hurt Len further. A blast of Fira hit two of the Heartless as Len took the opportunity to strike the Bandit that cut his arm with a strong blow to the head, causing it to buckle and dissipate.

"We're not done yet! Eve, shield me once you heal Len, I'm going in!" I said, gripping my Keyblade tightly as I moved in front of Len to face the Pirates.

As one of the Pirates swiped at me, it was knocked off balance as a veil of wind enveloped my body. I cast Thunder at the Heartless, killing the downed one and injuring another. Both remaining Pirates jumped up into the air, slicing downward at me, but were instead met with a Blizzard spell from Sera, causing them to fall onto the rough arena floor, shattering into multiple pieces.

"Nice one!" I smiled, looking back towards Sera and giving her a thumbs-up. As she repeated the gesture, the crowd went wild, shouting filling the Coliseum.

"And another victory of the Key Summoners! What a match!" Phil cheered, obviously enjoying the outcome just as much as the crowd did.

I helped Len stand up, putting his injured arm around me as we walked back into our prep room, smiling and waving all the while.

The cheering started to lessen as the warrior looked on from the far back of the stands.

* * *

" _That clock boy has some skill, I'll give him that,"_ he thought to himself.

However, he knew that taking him down wasn't his only problem. The boy's teammates would prove just as difficult it would seem. The reckless one caught his eye in particular. Something about him seemed… familiar. The warrior shook his head; he had to stay focused. If he lost, he might loss his only chance at finding _her_ again, and that couldn't happen. Never again…

* * *

Once we got settled in the prep room again, Phil came in to talk with us.

"Great job out there kiddos! Where in Sparta did you all learn to fight?" he wondered.

"Well, all of us are students of Master Ira. He teaches us as well as the rest of the group we came with," I explained.

"What, One Horn Head? Well, he _did_ seem confident when he chose you guys to join the tournament," Phil mused to himself, stroking his small orange beard.

Phil's attention turned away from me and towards Len, who was sitting on one of the beds having his arm bandaged by Eve.

"However, Googles here doesn't seem to fight like the rest of ya'. The three of you assess your situation before making a move, but he just charges right in," Phil described, Len looking away uncomfortably.

"It's… it's how-" Len began, but Phil held his hand up in a 'Stop' motion.

"Hey, I'm not saying you should change the way you fight or anythin'. You did a great job. All I'm sayin' is that you should try to be a bit more cautious. Your enemy might do that same thing and overwhelm you," Phil advised.

Len paused, taking in Phil's words as Eve finished wrapping the bandage around Len's cut. He looked around at us, his friends, the area around him, and then himself. Len took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

"Thank you, Phil. I'll try to keep that in mind for future reference," Len replied after a moment of silence.

"No problem kid. Just some advice from an old goat who's seem a few too many heroes get themselves hurt. Next match is in 3 hours, so get some rest," Phil sighed, taking his leave from the prep room.

Taking Phil's advice, each of us hopped onto a bed to lay down. Sera seemed to fall asleep as soon as her head met the pillow while it took Eve a couple of minutes to get oriented and close her eyes. Before I closed my eyes, I glanced over in Len's direction as he clutched his lion necklace and stared up at the ceiling. He seemed determined, like he had taken Phil's words to heart already.

* * *

As I slept, visions appeared in my subconscious. I saw a sand-covered floor, heard loud voices chanting on either side of me.

" _Finish him… finish him!_ " they drawled, each word bearing down on me like an immense weight was strapped to my body.

In front of me lay a guy with blond spikey hair, wounds along his arms and torso, his weapon seemingly tossed far behind him. In my hands, I held my Keyblade, poised above the guy's battered body, ready to stab downward.

 _"What? Did I do this?"_ I tried to say out loud, but the chanting increased and drowned out my words.

" _KILL… KILL…_ " the voices now repeated, and against my own will, I raised my Keyblade to strike.

"NOOOOO!" I screamed, waking up right before the blade pierced his chest.

I looked around, recognizing the prep room where I had been the entire time. My friends all stared at me as I gasped for breath, sweat rolling down the side of my face.

"M-Mathias? Is everything alright?" Eve worried, sitting beside me as I pulled myself from the bed.

"I-I don't know. I had this vision… I watched myself almost do something terrible…" I choked.

Eve rested her hand on mine, looking at me with those dazzling teal eyes of hers. I slowed my breaths and closed my eyes.

"It was just a bad dream, Mathias. You're okay now," Eve said calmingly, wiping a tear that had started to form in my eye.

I stared back at Eve. How could she be so calm? That smile of hers, even in the face of adversity, showed off her inner strength. She believed in me, and so should I.

"T-thank you Eve. I think I'm okay now," I said, taking a deep breath and exhaling.

For a moment the room was silent, a sense of uncertainty lingering in the air.

"Sooo, should we leave you two alone for a bit or something?" Sera asked, bringing all of us back to reality.

Eve quickly removed her hand from mine and held her hands in her lap, looking at her suddenly interesting shoe laces. As for me, I kind of just sat there, my hands gripping the side of the bed. Before either of us could feel even more embarrassed, the Coliseum speaker system started up.

"The Finale of the Zeus Cup starts in 5 minutes! Finalists, come on down!" the gruff voice of Phil pronounced.

"Come on guys, let's go. We have a match to win," Len spoke up, already on his way towards the entrance to the arena. Before I could follow Len and Sera, I felt a hand on my shoulder as I turned around to face Eve.

"Mathias, no matter what happens, please promise me you will do the right thing. Okay?" she pleaded.

"Yes. I promise," I agreed, marching forward into the arena one last time.

* * *

"After many thrilling matches, it's come down to these last two teams of fighters! Let's give it up for the Key Summoners!" Phil's voice boomed as the bright light of the sun danced around the arena.

The voices in the crowd seemed so deafening that I could barely hear anything else. Getting into our square formation once more, my heart missed a beat as I faced our final opponent. Blonde hair, giant sword, a black leathery wing along his left shoulder blade, and a red scarf. Exactly like the guy in the dream I had just seen.

"Now they face one of the most brutal fighters this arena has ever seen! Introducing, The EX-SOLDIER, Cloud!" Phil announced as the warrior drew his sword.

"Be ready for anything guys!" I shouted, readying my Keyblade in my hands.

Sera and Eve did the same, but Len just stood there, a blank expression across his face. As Phil started the match, Cloud came at us with an extreme burst of speed, heading right towards the dazed Len. Luckily, I ran to block his strike but was almost pushed aside by the amount of force behind Cloud's attack.

"Len! Get a hold of yourself! Move!" I commanded as Cloud jumped backwards, landing on one of the four columns within the center of the arena.

Sera shot two Firas at Cloud, blocking them effortlessly with his sword. Cloud then swiped his sword towards us, waves of wind energy flying in our direction.

"Eve, shields!" I ordered, barriers of wind absorbing the incoming attacks to me, Sera, and Len, but Eve was hit before she could cast an Aero spell on herself, knocking her across the battlefield near the stands.

Len, seeming to now get control of himself again, yelled as he charged Cloud head-on, locking blades with the Ex-Soldier. As the two clashed, Sera went to tend to Eve as I blasted a plasma shot at Cloud, hitting him in the chest and right arm as he was distracted by Len's barrage of attacks. Despite that, Cloud held his ground, kicking Len in the side as he turned to face me.

"You don't seem worth the trouble of fighting. What makes you so special?" Cloud mused, a red aura appearing around his sword as he glared me down.

"No clue. I just seem to attract the wrong kind of attention," I replied.

Cloud rushed at me, but right before his blade connected, I released my Stopra spell, which held Cloud in place.

" _Now's my chance!_ " I thought as I began to hit Cloud repeatedly with my Keyblade.

Striking Cloud about 13 times, the Stopra spell wore off, the damage I had dealt showing across Cloud's body as he flew back, landing in the rough sand, his sword out of his reach. As I walked over to him, black and red spots began to fill my vision. I clasped my head with my hand, breathing heavily.

" _N-no, it's just like the vision! I-I can't stop moving!_ " I tried to say, but my mouth wouldn't obey me.

In my trance, I reached Cloud's battered and bruised body, the voices of the crowd sounding distorted. They told me to finish him, he could get up and continue to hurt my friends. It had to be done, for the greater good.

" _ **Must… kill…**_ " I spoke in another voice, raising my Keyblade overhead.

"NOOO!" Len shouted, his voice high-pitched as he ran to charge me, his lion necklace emitting a strong light.

" _ **ARGH!**_ " The other voice shouted as I turned to face Len, the light blinding me long enough for Len to tackle me to the ground.

My field of vision started to return to normal, the red and black blotches dissipating as I looked towards Cloud, panting as he tried to stand up but fell to his knees. Then, to our surprise, Len ran and hugged Cloud, tears falling down his face.

"Cloud! I thought I would never see you again!" Len bawled, his voice switching from his usual tone to the higher-pitched one.

As Eve and Sera helped me to my feet, we watched as Cloud stood, Len sticking tightly to his chest.

"I missed you too, Rin," Cloud smiled, placing his hand on Len(?)'s head.

"R-Rin? What's going on here? Can somebody explain why-" Sera began, but was cut off by Eve's hand over her mouth.

Len(?) let go of Cloud and turned to face us, a large smile and tears clearly visible on his face.

"Guess I have some explaining to do huh? Guys, meet Cloud, my big brother. And I'm his little sister, Rin.".

 _To be continued…_

 **A/N: Holy Keyblades Batman! Another chapter?! Yes, it's finally here. I'm so sorry that I haven't uploaded something in over a month! I know that my uploading schedule is kinda random, please forgive me! Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I did writing it! Introducing Cloud was really fun, and there's more of that to come! If anyone has any criticisms, comments, etc., then leave a review or PM me! Your feedback is always appreciated! Now as always, have a good day, afternoon, or night!**


	13. Chapter 13

_"Come on Cloud, wake up! It's already 10:00 am!" Rin sang, shaking her brother as he awoke from his daze._

 _Sun fluttered through the now open curtains, the town of Nibelheim whirring away with the sounds of gears and machinery. People bustled about, haggling at the market stalls, children chasing each other around the water tower in a game of tag, the nearby manor casting a long shadow across the surrounding mountains._

 _"Mgh? What is it Sis? Can't I get a little more sleep?" Cloud replied, covering his face with his blankets._

 _"No way, you'll sleep until 3! Besides, aren't you forgetting something?" Rin whined, crossing her arms over her chest._

 _"That I'm a failure for not being able to join SOLDIER?"_

 _"Nope, not even close. It's my birthday, and you need to be awake to celebrate it!"_

 _Cloud groaned as he flung the blankets from his body, stretching his arms as he stood to face his sister. Today was her 12_ _th_ _birthday, which made her a year closer to being able to have her own job in town, something every kid wanted to spend their earnings on whatever they please. He was already 16 and working for Shinra along-side Zack, who he considered to be his best friend, as well as Sephiroth, who he looked up to like a father. They had been assigned to scout out the reports of the nearby Mako reactor becoming faulty, possibly leaking._

 _"Alright, I'm up. Happy birthday, Rin. Can I go back to sleep now?" Cloud asked sheepishly._

 _Rin frowned, but instead of yelling at him only sighed in exasperation._

 _"Get dressed soon please, Mom said that the party will start around five, and don't make me come back up here to fetch you when it's time!" Rin huffed, leaving the room and shutting the door with a loud *thud*._

 _"Sheesh, she's acting like a teenager already…" Cloud said to himself as he rummaged through his closet for his Shinra uniform._

 _This uniform was the standard Shinra indigo color, with belts around his waist, shoulders, and chest, along with a green-gray scarf covering his neck. Cloud reached for his helmet as well, but pulled his hand away from it._

 _"It's just a birthday party, what would I need it for? The worst that could happen is a stray piece of cake comes flying at me," Cloud thought with a chuckle._

 _After helping set up the house for the party, Cloud went over to the town inn where Zack and most of the other Shinra members had been staying for their time in Nibleheim. As Cloud knocked at the door, he was immediately pushed backwards as somebody fell on top of him._

 _"C-come on Tifffa, just one more shot, I proooomise…" the man sputtered, seemingly drunk out of his mind._

 _"Seriously? Do you want another fist in the gut? I said beat it, Slone," an angry female's voice came from inside the inn._

 _Slone, not wanting a one-way trip to the infirmary, quickly stumbled to his feet and ran, Cloud standing up and brushing the dirt off his clothes._

 _"So sorry about that. How can I- Cloud?!" Tifa exclaimed as she entered the doorway._

 _"Oh, hey Tifa," Cloud replied casually, although his heart was pounding and not at all calm and casual._

 _"Don't you 'hey' me! I didn't even know you were back in town!" she complained, hitting Cloud in the shoulder with her fist._

 _"Ow. Still glad you haven't lost you touch I see," Cloud smirked, rubbing his probably bruised shoulder._

 _Tifa sighed, motioning Cloud to come in. The inn's lobby looked more like a run-down bar than an actual lobby, wooden tables and chairs strung about the room, empty beer mugs placed dangerously stacked together on the bar. Cloud took up a set as Tifa went behind the bar, pouring a glass of water for the both._

 _"So, what brings you guys back home? I'm guessing by the amount of people that this isn't a vacation," Tifa questioned Cloud, placing the glass in front of him._

 _"Something has been up with the Mako reactor here lately, so we were sent to investigate," Cloud replied, taking a long gulp of water._

 _"Hmm, I don't buy it. Sending the grunts I get, but three SOLDIERS too? Now that's suspicious."_

 _Cloud took another long sip of water. He felt like he should tell her the truth, that he wasn't even a 1_ _st_ _Class SOLDIER like Zack. But he stayed silent, not wanting to feel the weight of failure on his shoulders more than it already was._

 _"Well, that's all I know at least. How have you been holding up?" Cloud replied._

 _"I've been alright so far, nothing more than a small bar fight here and there. Dad deals with most of those, but I stop it if they get really out of hand."_

 _"I bet you do. Have you seen Zack today? Tall, black hair, loves being a romantic as much as he does drink?" Cloud laughed._

 _"At least my hair doesn't look like a splitting mountain, Blondie," another voice pipped up._

 _Cloud turned in his chair, face to face with Zack, a large grin spreading across his face, a large sword on his back, long black hair passing his shoulders with part of it dangling in his face._

 _"Don't listen to a word he says, half of the time he's drunk or lying to impress girls," Cloud continued, undeterred by Zack's arm around him._

 _"Ah, so that's how it is. Wanna say anything else? Zack prodded, grabbing Cloud in a slight headlock, winking at Tifa._

 _"Well, at least somebody's there to keep Cloud in check while I'm not around. Nice to meet you Zack," Tifa smiled, Cloud now free from Zack's headlock._

 _"ANYWAYS," Cloud started, shrugging Zack's arm off him. "I was wondering if the both of you could come visit us around 5 o'clock for Rin's birthday party."_

 _"Oh, of course! Rin is always such a cheery person, how could I refuse? I hope she likes the present I've made for her this year," Tifa agreed, turning towards the bar to find something._

 _"Dude, you never told me you had a sister! Is she-" Zack chimed in, but was stopped when Cloud shook his head._

 _"She's turning twelve, try again in 4 or more years," Cloud said coldly, glaring sternly into Zack's eyes._

 _"Okay, okay! I was just playing man. Sure, I'll be there, if for nothing else but the cake," Zack joked, nodding his head._

 _"Here it is! What do you guys think?" Tifa announced, bringing their attention to what Tifa held in her hands._

 _It was an earring in the shape of a wolf, its silver jaws open near the tip of the earring, giving it the effect of making it look like the wolf was biting the wearer's ear._

 _"Woah, did you make that yourself!? It looks sick!" Zack commented._

 _Tifa nodded. "I had some spare metal just lying around, so I thought 'why not?'. I tried to make a pair, but only had enough material for one."_

 _"I think she'll love it. Thank you, Tifa," Cloud smiled, Tifa placing the earing back in the case she had retrieved it from._

 _"Well, I don't have anything like that, but I'm sure she would love to hear about all her big brother's adventures! Imagine it, 'The Epic of Zack and Cloud, Brothers of Shinra!'" Zack boomed, his arms spread wide in emphasis._

 _"Alright Zack, just make sure it's appropriate, and please, for goodness sake, don't mention the turtle incident," Cloud cautioned, Tifa looking confused as Zack's laugh filled the lobby._

 _"Are you sure about that one? I thought it was hilarious!"_

 _Cloud sighed, putting his hand on his forehead. He quickly glanced over at the clock, realizing that it read 4:00._

 _"Sorry guys, I need to get back now, there are still some things to be set up for the party. See you then!" Cloud remarked, waving a quick goodbye to Zack and Tifa._

 _On his way back home, Cloud stopped by some of the market stalls to grab some last-minute party supplies. Just as he rounded the corner to his house, a thought came to him._

 _"I haven't bought anything to give to Rin as a present. Shoot, what should I do?" he thought to himself, looking around for any other open stalls._

 _Cloud spotted one stall near the bridge to the manor that had many trinkets and jewelry. As Cloud approached, the older woman running the stall glanced up and smiled at him._

 _"Hello Cloud, good to see you again. What are you looking for today?" the old woman greeted him._

 _"Good to see you as well, Elder Mary. It's Rin's 12_ _th_ _birthday today, but I didn't buy her a present yet. I'm not that good with picking out gifts…" Cloud told her._

 _"Hmm, I think I have just the thing. Let me see… AH! How about this?" Elder Mary wondered, revealing a black cord necklace with the shape of a lion's head at the bottom, its silver metal shining in the last light of the sunset._

 _"Huh, that suits her quite well, having the energy and ferocity of a lion at times. How much-" Cloud recalled, but stopped when Elder Mary placed it in his palm._

 _"Take it. A little gift like this doesn't need to be bought to show how valuable it is," Elder Mary said cheerfully._

 _Clutching the pendant in his hand, Cloud thanked her and returned home just before the clock struck 5:00. As Rin's friends started showing up, Cloud helped his mother set the table with all the gifts that were brought over, but kept the lion necklace tucked in his pocket. Cloud then heard a knock at the door, and opened it to see Tifa and Zack, smiles on their faces as they greeted each other once more._

 _"Tifa!" Rin cheered as she embraced Tifa in a big hug._

 _"What, no hugs for me?" Zack jokingly complained, but Cloud just jabbed him in the ribs to shut him up._

 _"Cloud, who is this? A friend of yours?" Cloud's mother asked, coming over from the kitchen._

 _"Zack Fair, madam, at your service. I'm a 1_ _st_ _Class SOLDIER for Shinra," Zack introduced himself, giving a slight bow._

 _"WOAH, you're a SOLDIER?!" one of Rin's male friends exclaimed, the whole house's attention now on Zack._

 _"Yep, just like Cloud here! Now, let's get this party started!" Zack shouted, all the kids cheering in unison._

 _The house was filled with shouting and laughter as everyone sat down to eat dinner, a roasted turkey with potatoes and beans. Cloud smiled, seeing Tifa with Rin and the other girls talking about jobs at the inn and fashion, as well as Zack telling the boys about the life and adventures of a SOLDIER._

 _"Thank you for helping out Cloud," his mother told him. "Seeing all of you so happy makes me feel like I wasn't a failure as a mother."_

 _"Don't say that Mother. You have done a wonderful job with both of us, and I wouldn't have it any other way," Cloud disagreed, placing his hand on hers._

 _Once all the food has been picked clean and dishes washed, they all sat around the table once more as Tifa and Cloud's mother brought out the birthday cake. Along the white frosting were the words, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY RIN!" in big blue letters, twelve candles in a circle ablaze with fire._

 _"Alright everyone, on three!" Zack beamed._

 _"ONE, TWO, THREE!" everyone shouted, Rin blowing out air and dousing all the candles in one breath of air as cheering echoed around the dining room._

 _As the cake was being passed around, Tifa called Rin over to her, Zack, and Cloud._

 _"Enjoying your birthday so far Rin?" Tifa asked._

 _"Heck yeah, it's awesome! How could it get any better?" Rin bubbled._

 _"Well, I think I know how. This is for you, Rin," Tifa replied, handing the case to Rin._

 _Rin opened the case with enthusiasm, gasping when she saw the beautifully crafted earring that laid within._

 _"Oh my goodness! It's soo cool! Thank you Tifa!" Rin gushed with excitement, placing the earring upon her right ear and giving Tifa another huge hug._

 _"Don't thank just me, your brother has something for you too," Tifa laughed, looking at Cloud next to her._

 _Cloud nodded, pulling the lion necklace from his pocket and draped it around Rin's head. As Rin ran her hands over the lion's head, she looked up at Cloud and gave him a hug as well._

 _"I love you Cloud. You're the best big brother ever," Rin said, tears of joy filling her eyes._

 _"Love you too Sis, always" Cloud responded, holding her tight._

 _Suddenly, a loud *boom* was heard all around the house, cutting the power and plunging the village into darkness. Every one of the kids started panicking, but Cloud's mother hushed them and led them into the basement._

 _"Cloud, let's go. We need to see whatever caused that sound," Zack said, his tone changing from his usual carefree self to very serious._

 _Cloud nodded, following close behind Zack as he and Tifa opened the door outside. A large storm had brewed overhead, dark clouds swirling and lightning flashing at a quick pace. Around the courtyard strange things with glowing yellow eyes and black bodies turned towards the trio._

 _"Cloud, catch!" Zack shouted, throwing a short-sword Cloud's way, catching it and clutching it firmly in two hands._

 _The three charged the monsters, Zack taking out two at once with one sideways strike. Tifa straight up picked up one of the creatures and threw it into a group, stunning all of them as Cloud went in and finished them off. However, even as the dispatched more and more foes, the dark creatures just kept appearing from the dark storm._

 _"They just don't know when to quit!" Zack roared, sticking his Buster Sword into the ground and leaning on it heavily._

 _"If only we had some magic, then-" Tifa exclaimed, but when she turned around she stopped abruptly._

 _"CLOUD!" Rin shouted, running towards them at top speed._

 _"Rin! Stay back!" Cloud ordered, but she took no heed of his words._

 _One of the creatures took notice of Rin, and pounced towards her, Rin letting out a yell. Just about when the creature's claws would have hit Rin, a bright light sparked from her lion necklace, knocking it back. Once the light had subsided, Rin held some sort of sword in her hand, its tip that of a pointed crescent, two metals of white and black twirling around a star, and a handle of red and white hear her hand._

 _"W-what is this!?" Rin yelled, examining the blade._

 _All at once, every creature still alive charged towards Rin, surrounding her on all sides!_

 _"NO! RIN!" Cloud raged, moving with all his might to Rin, but it was too late._

 _Pools of dark liquid enveloped Rin's body, pulling her in every passing second._

 _"No, no, no! Don't leave me!" Rin cried as she tried to reach out to grab Cloud's hand, but it wasn't enough to stop her._

 _"I'll find you, Rin! I'll save you, no matter what! RIN!" Cloud yelled in agony as his sister disappeared below the dark surface._

 _The storm that raged overhead started to quiet, and soon the regular cloud-filled night sky returned to Nibelheim. Zack and Tifa stood speechless, looking at the spot where Rin had just been not a minute ago._

 _"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Cloud shouted, collapsing to his knees, tears streaking down his face._

 _Rain began to fall from the clouds, and from that moment onward, Cloud Strife was never the same._

* * *

We all stood, shocked at the story that was just relayed to us.

"Rin, I-I'm so sorry. I should have been there for you," Cloud apologized.

"It's okay, it's okay." Rin sniffed. "I've found you again, and that's all that matters."

As we watched the two of them hug, a slow clapping started up behind us.

"Well well well, what a touching family reunion. I could almost cry," a voice said condescendingly.

Turning around, we faced a person in a black coat, just like the other Dark Wielders I had faced.

"What do you want? I'm getting really tired of fighting you guys," I growled, Keyblade at the ready.

The figure let out a small laugh, throwing back his hood to reveal the face of…

"Shade?" I gasped, recognizing him from my Drive class.

"Yes," he grinned. "And I am here to make sure none of you leave this place alive."

 **A/N: BACKSTORY GALLORE! Anyways, here's another one right off the typewriter (Disclaimer: This story was not written with a typewriter.)! This may be one of the best chapters I've done yet, and boy was it fun! I haven't played much of FFVII myself, but it was really fun using its world and characters! As always, feel free to comment, review, or PM me with anything you want me to know! Now, have a good day, afternoon, night, or anything in between!**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: This chapter contains mild swearing.**

* * *

A quick flash of darkness blinked into existence around Shade's hand, his Keyblade appearing pointed directly at us. A navy-blue circle rounded the blade's black hilt, leading into blackened iron that twisted around itself into a moon at the blade's end. "Now, who wants to test their luck first?" Shade dared, tossing his Keyblade from hand to hand.

Without warning, Cloud's sword nearly cleaved Shade in two as he blocked the attack. Cloud continued his onslaught, slashing furiously at Shade, who seemed unamused with the fight. "Boring. Then again, what would I expect from a brainless bedhead?" Shade taunted, dashing behind Cloud and planting his foot into Cloud's back and sending him to the ground. Rin, with a cry of rage, ran towards Shade and her fallen brother, Keyblade held high. "Rin, don't!" Sera shouted as Shade swiped his blade upward and created ice clones of himself that stopped Rin in her tracks. "Hold them off. I want a nice little chat with Bedhead here," Shade scoffed, turning his attention back to Cloud, still underneath his foot.

"Mathias, what are we going to do?" Eve asked in a panicky voice.

The roar of the crowd that had permeated the Coliseum earlier had changed into frantic cries and screams, making it hard to think straight. There were five clones, each fashioned to closely resemble Shade, but something seemed off. The clones' Keyblades didn't look as solid as the clones themselves, small cracks appearing in them as Rin held off two of them.

"Aim for the blades! Crack them and the clones should be defenseless!" I replied, running to Rin's aid.

As Rin pushed one clone back, I parried an incoming blade from the other she had behind her. The Shade clone started at me with its creeping glassy eyes, no hint of emotion at all to be found. It swiped left as I rolled under the strike and slashed up, making contact with the hilt of the blade, almost breaking it entirely. Jumping back, the clone spun around and lunged forward, catching me in the shoulder as the cold started spreading along my left arm.

"Mathias! DUCK!" Sera yelled, two balls of Fira coming at us.

Hitting the dirt, I watched as the clone faced the spell head-on, shattering it on impact. Eve quickly cast a healing spell on me, but the cold didn't dissipate. She tried twice more only to be met with the same results. "Crud, it's no use. Why isn't it stopping?" Eve cursed.

"Hold on, let me try something," I wondered aloud. With a grunt, I tapped my Keyblade to the ice, a small purple clock appearing on the ice, its hands slowly moving. I attempted to move my arm, but it wouldn't budge from my side. Standing up, I redirected my focus back to Rin and Sera, still locked in combat with the ice clones. Shoot, who do I help? "Mathias, go help Sera!" Eve commanded, running over to Rin and shielding her in an Aerora spell.

The setting sun cast a twilight tone across the Coliseum, filled with the clashing of metal against ice. Dashing over, I planted a kick to one clone's ribs. It toppled over and brought its companion down with it. Blasting their blades out of their grasp with a precise Thunder, Sera finished them off with another Fira. Glancing over, I saw Rin mercilessly break pieces of a clone apart, ice splayed out against the orange dirt. Meanwhile, Eve's Keyblade struggled against the remaining clone. "A little help!" Eve kept pushing but was overwhelmed, falling to the floor as the clone stood over menacingly, kicking her Keyblade away.

I knew I couldn't reach her in time. The clone would see me coming. I did the only thing I could think of; I threw my Keyblade. "Eve, catch!" Hearing my call, Eve's outstretched hand latched on to my blade and swiped at her attacker's legs, causing the clone to shrink from 5'4 to about 3'4.

Rin jumped on the clone, its entire body cracking from the pressure. She stabbed downward, the soulless face crushed. Rin panted, helping Eve get back on her feet. We looked at each other, nodding in agreement, calling my Keyblade back to my hand. We ran towards Shade and Cloud. Cloud's desperate tries at fighting hadn't turned out well, blood leaking out multiple slashes across his body. Shade turned to face us as our frantic footsteps came to a halt. "Aw, come on guys! I was just having fun!"

"See how much fun you have when I kick that shit-eating grin off your face!" Rin charged, Keyblade over her head swinging in a downward arc. With a huff, Shade brought up an ice wall, jumping away at Rin carved through the air. I tried to shoot plasma towards Shade, but missed as Shade backflipped to dodge. In response, Shade shot a shard to ice. It connected with my already slightly frozen arm, a sharp pain blasting through my veins.

"Argh!" I fell onto the rough floor, my Keyblade vanishing in a light. I reached around blindly, grabbing onto something small and round.

"Ooh, that looked like it hurt." Ice flowed in a stream from Shade's blade that circled around him. As the clash of ice and steel filled the air, my vision began to flicker. Damn, not now, I can't black out. Feeling the round object in the palm of my hand, I opened it to see the Summoning Orb that the dream guy gave to me.

'Well, if this isn't the right time to use this, I'm crazy,' I thought to myself as I brought the orb clutched in my hand to my chest. "Warrior, please come to our aid!" I shouted, a burst of light emanating from my hand. A ring of light appeared around Cloud, green healing magic sewing his wounds as Cloud lifted himself off the ground. Picking up his Buster Sword, Cloud locked eyes with Shade, blue eyes filled with anger.

"I would pity you, but you're in my way!" Cloud fumed, swiping upwards and sending Shade flying. "Rin!" "Got it!" Rin joined Cloud as the two jumped into the air. Both relentlessly bore into Shade, countless slash marks appearing as Cloud and Rin moved as blurs. Shade roared in pain, cursing the two until they slammed him into the ground. Now who's the tough one? I wasn't one to talk though as the frost began extending to my torso.

"Rgh, now I'm pissed!" Shade stormed, a rush of darkness enveloping his body. Dissipating, Shade was revealed to be floating off the ground slightly, his robes becoming white with ice blue slash designs. He held a ball of black ice as his Keyblade was encased in ice along his back.

Shade slammed the ball downward, a force of ice blasting Cloud and Rin out of the sky as well as Sera into the stands. Eve stood over me, struggling to keep up her wind wall as the barrage of icicles flew towards us. "Eve, run! He's only after me!" I yelled over the constant cracking of ice.

"No way! I won't let you sacrifice yourself!" Even as she pushed with all her might, Eve's feet started to drag along the sanded floor. Ugh, why couldn't she just listen to me? Suddenly, I felt hands on my shoulders, looking up to see Sera, banged up from the stands. She began to drag me away from Eve as I tried to get free. "Stop! She needs my help!"

"You're just in the way right now! There's nothing you can do!" Sera's harsh words stung almost as much as the frost. I watched on helplessly as Cloud and Rin fought to say on their feet, slowly advancing towards Shade. Why is this happening? Are we going to lose?

 _"Your Keyblade is a special one, even among the Foretellers'. It can control time to a certain extent, but more than any other blade before it."_ The dream guy's words rang in my head. I summoned my Keyblade. "What are you-" Sera demanded, but was stopped as the whole arena fell silent, a purple atmosphere glazing our surrounding. Placing even more pain in my arm, by sheer force of will I pushed off the ground. Standing now, I dragged myself in Shade's direction.

Everything had frozen, not in ice, but in time. Never having tried this before, I felt like my body weighted a ton, placing all my energy into keeping up the Stopga spell and moving my legs. I passed Eve, her teeth clenched in a snarl as she blocked icicle after icicle. "I'm sorry. I have to stop him, for all of our sakes." I whispered. As I neared Shade, I howled in pain as I held my Keyblade with both hands, raising it over my head.

"Th-this ends now!" I roared, swiping down across Shade's face as the spell wore off, a rush of sound and movement happening all at once. Shade fell backwards, his Keyblade shattering on his back as the ice storm ceased. My friends stopped, shocked and staring at the spectacle in front of them. Shade glared up at me, a long scar crossing over his left eye. "D-damn. What the hell was that?"

"G-give up. It's o-over," I panted, my left arm going limp. Shade scooted backwards, a dark portal seeping from him. "For now, but you got lucky! The Clockwork will be his, and then you will rue the day!" Shade leapt through the portal, disappearing just like that. Completely exhausted from the spell and my injury, I fell on the ground.

I blinked, my vision fading. "Why would you do that, you heroic idiot?!" Eve cried, a tear falling on her face. "Sorry, had… to save…you…" I muttered, closing my eyes as the voices around me grew further and further away.

At this point you would think I'd be used to hospital beds. I opened my eyes lazily, my sight blurry without my glasses. At first, I could only see outlines, but as they drew closer I recognized them as my friends along with Cloud and Master Ira. "M-morning," I greeted them groggily. "Hm, seems like his sense of humor is still intact," Cloud noted.

Rin elbowed Cloud's ribs lightly, shaking her head in disapproval. "How are you feeling, Mathias?" "Well, I did just kinda get the crap beat out of me, so not great." I noticed Eve was sitting in a chair to the right my bed, a solemn look in her eyes. She stood up, walking a couple of steeps forward, but wouldn't meet my eyes.

"What's wrong Eve? Are you hurt?" I asked but already knew that wasn't why she looked so sad. She sniffed, looking at me, her teal eyes reddened from crying. "It's all my fault… I'm so sorry Mathias." Suddenly I felt a breeze of air on the left side of my body. I looked over. I understood why she was crying now; she was crying because my left arm was gone. All that remained was a stump where it had once been.

I felt… incomplete. Part of me that had always been there was gone, just like that. I sighed, shaking my head. "It isn't your fault Eve-" "YES IT IS! I should have been stronger, protected you better! If I was, you wouldn't… you wouldn't be hurt," Eve's sobbing continued, a silence of dread settling across the room. Sera had her hands on Eve's shoulders, rubbing them in an attempt to calm her down. Rin stood by Cloud, her face almost buried in his sleeve. "Mathias, forgive me. What kind of teacher stands idly by as his students fight alone?" Master Ira grimaced.

"Everyone, please. It was my choice. Now I have to live with the consequences." I sat up, the blankets shifting in the bed as I reached for my glasses on the side table. Their sad faces looked up at me. "The strength of our friendship is what kept me going. I knew I couldn't give up, and we are safe for now. So please, don't cry, okay?" I asked, a sad smile on my face.

"He's right. Mourning like this does no good," Cloud finally spoke up. The rest looked at each other, nodding in agreement. "So now what? Back home?" Sera asked Master Ira. "That would be best. We should get Mathias back, so he can rest." Master Ira waved his hand, a portal of light opening in the doorway.

"Wait!" As Eve helped me stand up, Phil came through the other door, panting heavily. "As the winners, I proudly present the Zeus Cup!" Phil handed me a trophy in the shape of a lightning bolt, engraved with the words, "Team Key Summoners: Winners of the Zeus Cup". "Thanks Phil," I said tiredly. "You four are welcome here anytime! Same goes for the blondie!"

Cloud nodded in thanks, walking away from us. "Cloud, you're not coming? B-but I just found you!" Rin sniffed, grabbing his sleeve. "I wish I could Rin, but I have to go. Our own world needs its own savior. I promise I'll come back." A thought occurred to me as I felt that the Summoning Orb was once again in my pocket.

"Rin, take this. I think you should have it. It's what I used to help Cloud." I said, placing it in Rin's hand. She smiled, giving me a small hug. "Thank you, Mathias. Now I can always see my brother again." As we departed, Cloud patted me on the back. "You did good, Clock-boy. Don't let this set you back too much. Stay strong." "You too, Cloud. Good luck." Facing the portal, Eve helped me walk through it, a portal back to the safety of home.

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 **A/N#2:** And so another chapter is here after 2 long months!(Again, sorry about the wait!) Coming back to this from a break was a bit hard, especially since most of this was fight scenes. But either way, it feels great to continue this! D23 is coming, and with it hopefully a new trailer for KH3! Hype is real, so you can count on me to keep this story going! Once again, please leave a review with your thoughts, questions, and critiques if you feel so inclined! Now, as always, have a wonderful morning, afternoon, evening, or anything in between!


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